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On April 3, 2020, the Prime Minister held the 37th Council on Investments for the Future at the Prime Minister’s Office.
 
At the meeting, the participants held discussions on the detailed measures related to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the promotion of so-called 6G (Beyond 5G), the advancement of open innovation, tailor-made education in schools (GIGA Schools), and the ideal profile of human resources and education vis-à-vis the protection of employment.
 
Following the discussion, the Prime Minister said,
 
“Today, we first discussed the economic policy related to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
 
The spread of the virus has reduced global economic activities, and the Japanese economy has also been significantly impacted. Micro-, small-, and medium-sized business operators are making use of the loan scheme of the Japan Finance Corporation (JFC), but we are hearing that counters at JFC offices are crowded and that it takes time before loans are approved. For that reason, in the emergency economic measures to be decided next week, we will make it possible for businesses to receive real interest-free unsecured loans with principal repayment deferred for a maximum of five years, from local private financial institutions, such as local banks, Shinkin banks, and credit cooperatives, just as they would from the JFC, for the first time in history.
 
During our intensive hearings, we heard comments that business operators are not taking up loans due to the lack of prospects of repaying the loans and therefore cannot continue their businesses. For micro-, small-, and medium-sized operators, and those larger than these companies, we will establish a subsidy scheme aimed at supporting business continuity, which is the first of its kind in our history.
 
Afterwards, we discussed the development of technology for the future. We will promote international joint research with our sights set on the introduction of ‘Beyond 5G’ around 2030, and create a global public-private collaboration structure to that end. Furthermore, towards innovations through business collaborations, we will create guidelines that outline problematic cases and specific solutions for them, as well as the rationale of the Anti-Monopoly Act.
 
We also discussed distance education using digital technology and other applications. We will achieve one IT device per child ahead of schedule in classrooms and, since artificial intelligence (AI) will allow students to proceed with their studies based on individual needs, advance our reviews to make lesson hours for particular subjects increase or decrease flexibly.
 
In the current situation where the novel coronavirus disease is spreading, the promotion of remote options, including teleworking, is an urgent issue from the perspective of sustaining daily lives.
 
In particular, it is crucial to take this opportunity to make active use of online medical consultations, in order to protect not only patients, but also doctors and nurses from the risks of hospital-acquired infections. I hope to reach a conclusion on this in the Council for Promotion of Regulatory Reform soon.
 
I ask the relevant ministries and agencies to work together under the leadership of Minister in Charge of Economic Revitalization Nishimura to advance concrete discussions towards the formulation of the action plan of the Growth Strategy scheduled for this summer.”