2  With regard to the outlook, Japan's economy is likely to continue on a moderate expanding trend, despite being affected by the slowdown in overseas economies for the time being. The keys to this outlook are the following: (1) the timing of a pick-up in overseas economies and (2) whether the firmness in domestic demand will be sustained until that happens.
I now would like to talk about the sustainability of domestic demand. Private consumption is expected to continue increasing moderately as the employment and income situation continues to improve.