Yet, it seems that the Japanese people were unable to set a new target once the goal of catching up had been achieved, and the ambition to achieve further economic growth has weakened. This may be a factor behind the significant economic slowdown since the 1990s.
In this situation, the government’s “New Growth Strategy (Basic Policies)” released in December 2009 is very meaningful, as it presents the objective with which the public would seek to achieve sustainable economic growth.