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On January 22, 2020, the Prime Minister attended a meeting of the Ministerial Council on the Monthly Economic Report and Other Relative Issues at the Prime Minister’s Office.
 
Regarding the assessment of the current state of the Japanese economy, the January Monthly Economic Report states, “The Japanese economy is recovering at a moderate pace, while weakness mainly among manufacturers is increasing further, as exports are continuing in a weak tone.” Furthermore, concerning short-term prospects, the Report states that “weakness remains for the time being, but the economy is expected to continue recovering, supported by the effects of the policies, while employment and income situation is improving. However, attention should be given to situations in overseas economies including the situations over trade issues, the prospect of the Chinese economy, the UK leaving the EU, and the state of affairs over the Middle East region, the effects of fluctuations in the financial and capital markets, and the situations of the consumer sentiment after the consumption tax increase.”