I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincerest gratitude for your cooperation with the activities of the Bank of Japan's Kochi Branch. Today, I would like to have your views on the actual situation of the local economy, as well as your candid opinions about the Bank's policies and activities.
Let me now start by talking about the Bank's outlook for Japan's economic activity and prices as well as its thinking behind the conduct of monetary policy, while outlining the Outlook for Economic Activity and Prices (Outlook Report) released at the end of January 2017. I.