The crisis in the euro area, which has been lingering on for more than five years now, is a clear lesson that the monetary union as a whole has weaknesses. These weaknesses and the steps that are needed to eliminate them and to preserve monetary union as a lasting union of stability will be the topics of my speech this evening. 2.
This trend is characterized by increases in demand in the machinery industry, where Japanese firms have a competitive advantage, and the IT sector, both reflecting the growing momentum toward a global expansion in business fixed investment. Looking at Japan's exports by type of goods, it can be confirmed that those of IT-related goods and capital goods have increased clearly of late (Chart 4).