After that, it is expected to gradually return to the rising trend and is likely to reach around the 2 percent price stability target toward the end of fiscal 2014 through fiscal 2015 (Chart 17). Concluding remarks Let me conclude my remarks by touching on the economy of Kitakyushu (Chart 18).
Kitakyushu’s economy was long stagnant after the Lehman shock, but it has gradually been improving in the region’s main force – the manufacturing sector – partly on the back of a correction in the yen’s appreciation. Recently, an improvement has started to spread from large to medium- and small-sized firms, and the regional economy has been recovering moderately on the whole.