Thursday, July 30, 2009

Project Team for Employment Measures for Young People

Prime Minister Taro Aso attended the 1st meeting of the Project Team for Employment Measures for Young People, a cross-ministerial organization which considers measures to assist job placement of young people, at the Prime Minister's Office.

This project team was established urgently under Mr. Yoshimasa Hayashi, Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy, to consider responses across the ministries and agencies, rather than in the government's vertically-segmented administrative structure, for young people, who carry on the next generation of Japan and whose employment situation remains severe.

Prime Minister Aso said, "This project team was established in light of the severe employment situation which persists amidst the current recession. In particular, employment measures for young people -- the younger generations -- are important. We call those people who could not find jobs during the 'hiring freeze period (ice age)' in the 1990s a 'lost generation.' This may repeat in the 2010s, which we should forestall by all means. I call on the project team under Minister Hayashi to address the issue by gathering opinions from a broad spectrum, in a cross-ministerial manner breaking through compartmentalized administration."