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On November 24, 2017, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended the National Governors’ Conference held at the Prime Minister’s Office.

The Prime Minister said in his address,

“Thank you very much for coming from all over the country today despite your busy schedules. I am very happy to have this opportunity to hear views directly from governors who are constantly making efforts to further develop and advance your prefectures.

The Abe Cabinet has created a positive economic cycle by releasing the three arrows of Abenomics. The ratio of active job openings to applicants by work location is now over 1.0 in all prefectures. The employment rate of those who graduated from high school and university this past spring was a record high. The ratio of active job openings to applicants for full-time employment exceeded 1.0 for the first time since we started conducting surveys.
 
We have been able to get this far by continuing to release the arrows of Abenomics reforms for nearly five years. To further enrich the lives of the people, we are promoting revolutions in productivity and human resources development as the two wheels of the cart in tackling the enormous challenge of a declining birthrate and aging population.

With regard to productivity revolution, we have positioned the three years leading up to FY2020 as an intensive investment period. We will boost productivity by mobilizing every kind of measure, including bold tax system, budgetary, and regulatory reform measures. We will ensure that the momentum from the four consecutive years of wage increases will be further strengthened in all corners of Japan.

In addition, setting our sights on a 100-year life society, we will decisively promote a revolution in human resources development and create a society in which all citizens are dynamically engaged. We will review the use of consumption tax revenues to make significant strides in making preschool education free, eliminating childcare waiting lists, and securing human resources for nursing care. In this way we will greatly transform the social security system into one oriented to all generations by boldly putting government resources into the child-rearing generation and children. In order to crystallize the policies for these pillars, we will compile a new package of policies early next month.

At the same time, we will quickly implement those measures which are feasible. In order to overcome the challenge of a declining birthrate and aging population, we will take full advantage of the capabilities of the individuals with outstanding talents and the regions with wisdom.

As we reach the mid-way point of the comprehensive strategy for overcoming population decline and vitalizing local economy, we are starting to see wonderful examples of regional revitalization. For instance, in the seven prefectures that surround the Seto Inland Sea, a system has been developed for the integrated management of the entire area as a sightseeing site, and marketing and promotional activities are being carried out together with private businesses and financial institutions. As a result, the number of foreign nationals that visit and spend a night in the area has roughly tripled over the past four years, a rate of growth that far exceeds the national average. The Government will extend active supports in terms of information, human resources, and financing in order to accelerate these regional initiatives.

The Abe Cabinet will continue to uphold the basic position that Japan will not be vital without vital local regions. While continuing to conduct careful discussions with everyone, including today’s meeting, the Government will make concerted efforts to implement various measures such that the people of the regions will be able to further experience for themselves the positive cycle of growth and distribution. Thank you very much.”