There is also a similar criticism regarding the continued uptrend in wages that a rise in nominal wages has not been keeping up with a rise in consumer prices and thus real wages have been declining. On that point, it will be necessary to distinguish price increases due to demand expansion from those due to the effects of the consumption tax hike.
Banknotes presently have a roughly balanced mix of overt and covert security features. So there are opportunities and challenges ahead for the high security printing industry. Both seem more acute in the Asian region because of its large population and cultural connection to using physical cash. That is why this conference is important and timely.