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[Provisional Translation]

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held the second meeting of the Council for the Realization of Work Style Reform, at the Prime Minister’s Office.

At the meeting, there was discussion on what manner of flexible work styles (tele-working, various employment types, side jobs, and others) should be aimed at, the provision of diverse screening and hiring opportunities, facilitating a balance between medical treatment and work, what kinds of working environments for the disabled should be promoted, what forms of social security and taxation systems that are neutral in terms of work style should be established, and the creation of an environment where it is easy for women to work (efforts to foster leaders and other matters).

Based on the discussion, the Prime Minister said,

“Today, we had discussions on the themes of flexible work styles and the provision of diverse employment opportunities.

I want to construct a society in which every single person can choose to work in a way that fits well with where they are in their lives. Tele-working is an effective means of balancing childrearing or caregiving with work, while side jobs and multiple jobs done in conjunction are effective means for open innovation and entrepreneurship. In Japan’s case, there are still extremely few tele-working users, or companies that allow side jobs and multiple jobs done in conjunction. I believe the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is taking the lead in tackling this matter. It is extremely important that we work to spread these practices.

On the other hand, we would be getting our priorities backwards if those practices encourage long work hours. I think we need to organize our ideas on how to manage long work hours. I would like to consider a variety of policy measures, including the formulation of guidelines.

Furthermore, another issue for us is the expansion of diverse employment opportunities outside of those offered to new graduates, such as mid-career employment opportunities, so that age does not prevent people from finding work. I would like to change the single-track career path that has been a challenge since my first administration.

On that point, I am holding roundtable meetings to exchange views with working people, and during one meeting some time ago, I heard from a person in their late 50s who had left their job at a major electronics manufacturer to work in product development. They told me that they found their new job “fun and meaningful.” These kinds of career changes make it possible for those managing venture companies to hire workers who need no education, are fully matured and have strong knowhow. I believe this truly can only be done in Japan. The worker told me that they feel bad for the large corporation that they once belonged to. I felt at that time that if we could spread this practice even further, perhaps even more opportunities could be created in Japan.

I would like to consider policies through which the Government and the private sector can unite to open the door for mid-career employment opportunities, from efforts to go back to school, to job searches, all the way to employment. Even today, a Council member from a logistics company made a proposal on this matter. I hope that there will be active cooperation with everyone from the business world on this issue.

Another theme that I wanted to put more effort toward this time was facilitating a balance between medical treatment and work. We heard about this issue from many people, including Council Member Ikuina. There was a proposal on a triangular support system formed among attending physicians, companies, and company doctors or counselors. I think this is a good idea. I would like us to consider what form that system should take.

I request that everyone further deepens their discussion on these matters, building on the opinions of the Council members today.”