Japan’s working population has been declining since the latter half of the 1990s, and the number of workers has also shown a declining trend since 1998. Under these circumstances, I believe, the particularly important issues we have to deal with are maintaining a sustainable fiscal balance, and increasing the rate of participation in the elderly and female workforce.
Meanwhile, it is also vital that Japan continues to make efforts towards realizing the potential strengths that I mentioned earlier. Strengthening our cooperation with Asian economies is likewise crucial for this issue.