I would like to describe Japan's economic situation from two aspects: the corporate sector and the household sector. 1  1. Corporate sector Let me start with the corporate sector. Corporate profits have been at high levels on the whole, mainly reflecting the easing of supply-side constraints, although current profits for the July-September quarter of 2022 declined slightly from the previous quarter (Chart 2).
We are equally aware that there are still barriers to financial access that hinder 17.4 percent of population from accessing the (formal or informal) financial system. Further, we very much recognize that financial access does not necessarily translate to better living standards—but a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. 5.