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On January 17, 2020, the Prime Minister held the first meeting of the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy in 2020 at the Prime Minister’s Office.
 
At the meeting, a discussion was held on the future agenda for the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy, and the economic and fiscal projections for medium to long term analysis.
 
Based on the discussion, the Prime Minister said,
 
“This year will be a historic one, in which we hold the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Japan for the first time in half a century, at long last.
 
While we have welcomed the era of Reiwa, we are facing extremely difficult issues including the declining birthrate and aging society, as well as a rapidly changing international situation. To overcome these challenging issues, it will be a major key to achieve both economic growth and the peace of mind of the people, much like two wheels of a cart, by working on economic issues as the highest priority in a manner that allows the public to feel that peace of mind, through these efforts.
 
To that end, it is necessary for Japan to achieve quality economic growth through capturing global demand, by transforming into a global hub overseas and promoting investment in and development of human resources, keeping in mind the future of industrial structure in the age of digitalization at home. At the same time, we also need to exert every effort to create a local community in which the people can live with peace of mind, in particular efforts to deal with the declining birthrate, which is a pressing issue for us.
 
I would like to address these issues with the Abe Cabinet working in unity, seeking your advice this year as well, and make this year one that paves the way to a future with peace of mind and growth.
 
I would like every member of the Council to undertake intensive discussions towards the planning of the Basic Policy this summer.”