LINKS - Japan Policy Forum - Page 5
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- Jan. 7, 2014"I believe that this past year has been one in which we have started to restore lost confidence. […] We are entering a critical stage. That is why we will raise consumption tax from 5% to 8% in April. “We must not let go of the chance that we have finally seized to potentially overcome deflation. […] This is exactly why we are alleviating the impact that raising the consumption tax will have by undertaking other tax measures, including 5.5 trillion yen in economic measures and 1 trillion yen in tax breaks for capital investment and other activities. I hope to recover our current strength and put Japan back on its current path toward growth from July." Prime Minister Abe Shinzo said at the 2014 New Year Party Jointly Hosted by the Three Economic Associations.
- Jan. 6, 2014New Year's Press Conference by Prime Minister“Standing on the pitcher's mound with the bases loaded and no outs, I have thrown with all my might the pitches that I have faith in,” said Prime Minister Abe Shinzo looking back on 2013 at Ise-jingu Shrine, Mie Prefecture. PM said, “Through my "three arrows" of economic revival, I have transformed the Japanese economy from negative growth to positive growth. The ratio of job offers to job seekers has recovered to 1.0 for the first time in six years. While there are unemployed people now looking for work, their numbers are now matched by the number of available jobs and job offers. Business confidence among small- and medium-sized enterprises is also now changing for the better. At the end of 2013, business sentiment turned positive among manufacturers for the first time in six years, while for non-manufacturers it turned positive for the first time in an astounding 21 years and 10 months.” “Again this year Japan, acting in coordination with the international community, will play an even more proactive role for world peace and stability than in the past. We must build an age which is free from the sufferings caused by the devastation of war. I believe Japan must be a country which joins hands with friends in Asia and friends around the world to realize the peace of the entire world. As we begin this new year, I have renewed my determination in this regard.” Related Link: http://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/96_abe/statement/201401/06kaiken_e.html
- Dec. 30, 2013Prime Minister Abe Shinzo attended the 2013 Year-end Closing Ceremony of the Tokyo Stock Exchange and said, “As a result of our collective hard work and new policies, the economy has shifted dramatically from negative to positive growth, and the average current profits of the 1,300 companies on the TOPIX have increased by 50%. […] In September of this year, I visited the New York Stock Exchange. There, I declared 'Buy my Abenomics.' […] Everyone, I have come here to declare that next year too, Abenomics is a 'buy.'”
- Dec. 24, 2013The Monthly Economic Report for December assesses the current state of the Japanese economy, stating that "The Japanese economy is on the way to recovery at a moderate pace. And prices are holding firm (the state is no longer at the stage of deflation)."
- Dec. 20, 2013At the Government-Labor-Management Meeting for Realizing a Positive Cycle of the Economy, both the union side and the management side were able to reach a common understanding on the following. • Ensuring that increases in corporate revenues and profits lead to wage increases and proper subcontract transaction practices; • Realizing diverse forms of regular employment that meet the needs of each workplace, instead of permanently sticking with the dual work styles of regular and irregular employment; and • Taking into account the perspective of promoting work-life balance, proactively holding dialogues between labor and management to realize a flexible way of working that satisfies the wishes of individuals and the business needs of companies
- Dec. 20, 2013Prime Minister Abe Shinzo received a courtesy call from H.E. Mr. Nabil Fahmi, Foreign Minister of the Arab Republic of Egypt.
- Dec. 19, 2013Prime Minister Abe Shinzo received a courtesy call from Vice Admiral John W. Miller, Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, U.S. Fifth Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces.
- Dec. 17, 2013Prime Minister Abe Shinzo received a courtesy call from H.E. Dr. Hussain Al-Shahristani, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Iraq.
- Dec. 16, 2013According to the Bank of Japan's Tankan (Short-term Economic Survey of Enterprises in Japan), the business conditions of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), including the non-manufacturing industry, have turned from negative to positive for the first time in 21 years.
- Dec. 14, 2013ASEAN-Japan Commemorative Summit Prime Minister Abe Shinzo attended the ASEAN-Japan Commemorative Summit and other related events. PM Abe attended a gala dinner and said in his address. “From Japan to ASEAN; from ASEAN to Japan. Exchanging cultures; exchanging people. The government of Japan will forge a new cultural exchange policy for the next seven years in order to bring to life our 'heart to heart' connections on both sides.”
