The GEL estimates resolve the risk-free rate puzzle in Japan

We show the nonexistence of the well-known risk-free rate puzzle in the Japanese financial markets. This result crucially depends on the accurate estimates of the two basic parameters: the subjective discount factor and the degree of risk aversion, appearing in the standard Consumption-based Capital Asset Pricing Model (CCAPM). We estimate these parameters by the recently developed method, Generalized Empirical Likelihood (GEL) estimation; we also confirm our results by comparing Mean Squared Errors (MSEs) based on higher order biases and first order asymptotic variances of the estimates.