But that debt costs only 1-2% of GDP to service, allowing Japan to remain solvent. Likewise, Greece can now manage its public-debt burden, which stands at about 175% of GDP, thanks to the ultra-low interest rates and long maturities (longer than those on Japan’s debt) granted by its European partners.
日本的经验完美地说明了这一现象。日本政府负债高达GDP的200%以上，看起来根本无力解决这一问题。但其债务维持成本只有GDP的1—2%，因此日本仍有偿债能力。类似地，希腊现在可以负担相当于GDP的175%左右的公债负担也是因为其欧洲伙伴国给予的极低利率和长期限（比日本债务期限更长）。