- Appointment of Keidanren Vice Chairs and Board of Councillors Vice Chairs
- Monetary Policy
- Wage Increases
- Great East Japan Earthquake
- Creative Economy
- Former Workers from the Korean Peninsula
Appointment of Keidanren Vice Chairs and Board of Councillors Vice Chairs
An unofficial decision was made at today's meeting of the chairman and vice chairs on candidates for Keidanren vice chairs and Board of Councillors vice chairs to be newly appointed at the General Assembly on May 31.
Keidanren Vice Chairs Yasuhiro Sato, Masanobu Komoda, and Tatsuo Yasunaga will step down with effect from the date of the General Assembly. An unofficial decision was made to replace them with Hitoshi Nagasawa, Chairman, Nippon Yusen Kaisha; Makoto Takashima, Chairman of the Board, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation; Masayuki Hyodo, President and CEO, Sumitomo Corporation; and Kenichiro Yoshida, Chairman, Sony Group Corporation.
Board of Councillors Vice Chairs Hideo Ichikawa, Yoshihisa Suzuki, Kenichiro Yoshida, Noriko Takeuchi, and Mitsuru Izumo will step down with effect from the date of the General Assembly. Current Keidanren Vice Chairs Masanobu Komoda and Tatsuo Yasunaga will be candidates for appointment to the post of Board of Councillors vice chair. Other new tentative vice chair appointees are Takashi Uchida, Chairperson of the Board, Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd.; Kazuyuki Inoue, President, Shimizu Corporation; Kei Uruma, President & CEO, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation; Seiji Nakata, President and CEO, Daiwa Securities Group Inc.; Keita Ishii, President & COO, Itochu Corporation; and Etsuko Tsugihara, President, Sunny Side Up Group Inc.
All candidates were selected based on an overall assessment of their personal character, knowledge, management skills, and achievements in their respective industries, as well as maintenance of a balance among a wide range of industries.
(In response to a question regarding the absence of women among the Keidanren vice chair candidates) Although there are no women among the new vice chair candidates this year, Keidanren aims to create a society where a diverse range of people, including women, can thrive and play active roles, and we are always conscious of diversity in making appointments. With an eye to the future, we are seeking suitable candidates with personal character, knowledge, management skills, and leadership abilities, and we will maintain this approach in proactively considering candidates next year and beyond.
(カジノシークレット おすすめスロット Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda not being included among the candidates) Mr. Toyoda is a first-rate, energetic manager with outstanding knowledge of the automobile industry and the broader mobility sector. The automobile industry is key to Japan and plays a core role in the mobility sector. Mr. Toyoda will play an increasingly important role as co-chair of Keidanren's Committee on Mobility.
Monetary Policy
(In response to a question on the Bank of Japan's revision of monetary policy) The BoJ may be willing to normalize monetary policy if it judges that moderate price rises have been achieved and a virtuous cycle of wages and prices has begun. It is increasingly probable that the 2% price stability target set by the government and the BoJ will be achieved. More attention may be paid to wage increases, not least as factors in BoJ decision-making. In any case, I have high expectations that this year'カジノシークレット おすすめスロットpring labor-management wage negotiations will produce better results than last year's in the aim of creating a virtuous cycle through structural wage increases.
To achieve such a virtuous cycle, wage increase momentum must spread to SMEs. Most negotiations will wrap up on March 13, but since the companies reporting outcomes on that day are mainly large enterprises, attention will also need to be paid to SME wage increase results from April onwards. The BoJ will consider various indicators and make a comprehensive judgement on whether a virtuous cycle has been achieved for society as a whole, but it is likely to steer monetary policy toward normalization in the not-too-distant future.
(In response to a question on Japanese companies' readiness for revision of monetary policy by the BoJ) Prolonged continuation of unprecedented monetary easing is unhealthy over the medium to long term, and we need to return to a world with normal interest rates. Companies are preparing for this on the assumption that monetary policy will be normalized in the not-too-distant future. The BoJ haカジノシークレット おすすめスロットtated that it will maintain an extremely accommodative financial environment for some time after lifting negative interest rates to avoid dramatic impacts on the economy, and companies will respond appropriately.
Wage Increases
(In response to a question about the current state of spring labor-management wage negotiations and the spread of wage increases to SMEs) I feel that wage increase momentum is higher than last year. Keidanren has publicized the 2024 Report of the Special Committee on Management and Labor Policy, which sets out management's basic stance towardカジノシークレット おすすめスロットpring labor-management wage negotiations, in some 50 locations around the country. I understand that in the course of these activities, many SME managers indicated that they are positively considering wage increases, including pay scale increases. They are doing so not only in response to price trends, but also from the perspective of attracting and retaining employees, and I find this very encouraging. I have high hopes that wage rise momentum iカジノシークレット おすすめスロットpreading nationwide, including not just large enterprises, but also SMEs.
(In response to a question regarding wage rises at SMEs in regional areas) Although price levels differ among regions, Keidanren is aiming to achieve high wage increase rates throughout Japan. Large companies and their worksites also exist in regional areas. Such companies, which order goods and services from SMEs and participate in the Declaration of Partnership Building initiative, are working on appropriate price pass-through that will lead to SME wage increases. The external environment remains challenging, and not all regional SMEs will be able to implement wage increases overnight, but Keidanren will persistently continue its efforts this year, next year, and beyond.
(カジノシークレット おすすめスロット the effectiveness of the Declaration of Partnership Building initiative, given the recent advisory issued to Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. by the Japan Fair Trade Commission for infringement of the Subcontracting Act) This is not even an issue of price pass-through, and should never have been allowed to occur.
It is extremely regrettable that this occurred at Nissan Motor, a top automaker with an extensive supply chain.
The Declaration of Partnership Building initiative was only introduced in May 2020, and still has a short history. Rather than worrying that it has turned into a mere formality, we are at the stage of speeding up efforts to ensure its effectiveness. The public and private sectors will cooperate in pushing ahead with these efforts.
Great East Japan Earthquake
(In response to a question about Japanese companies' disaster risk readinesカジノシークレット おすすめスロットince the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011) As of fiscal 2021, approximately 70% of large companies with capital of one billion yen or more had drawn up business continuity plans (BCPs). However, disaster readiness can never be perfect, and must constantly evolve. Having come through the COVID-19 pandemic, we now recognize the need to examine phenomena that may arise as a result of various emergencies rather than just earthquakes and other individual events, and to develop BCPs to deal with all hazards. Moreover, this year's Noto Peninsula earthquake reaffirmed the importance of multiple lines of infrastructure such as essential services, highways, and railroads. Since the Japanese archipelago is prone to disasters, the public and private sectors must collaborate in building resilience, never forgetting the importance and necessity of disaster readiness.
Creative Economy
(In response to a question on views of two Japanese films winning Academy Awards on March 11 and the development of Japan's content industry) I am truly delighted that the films The Boy and the Heron and Godzilla Minus One won Academy Awards. Prior to that good news, however, I was deeply shocked by the report that Akira Toriyama, the creator of Dragon Ball and other manga, had passed away, and I would like to offer my sincere condolences to his family. Seeing these events reported around the world reminded me of the tremendous influence of Japanese content and Japan'カジノシークレット おすすめスロットoft power.
Keidanren established a Committee on the Creative Economy in 2022, and since then it has engaged in various activities. Aiming to expand overseas markets for Japanese content, the committee's efforts are targeting a creative industry worth 15 to 20 trillion yen by 2033. Although data indicates that Japan accounts for 12 of the top 25 places in the world ranking of cumulative revenue from content IP (content with recognized intellectual property rights), it is hard to say that we are taking a strategic approach. Learning from the example of South Korea, which has promoted the creative economy as a national policy, I would like to maintain a focus on promoting Japan's content industry.
Former Workers from the Korean Peninsula
(カジノシークレット おすすめスロット whether a lack of donations from Korean companies may hinder the maintenance of the scheme run by a foundation that the South Korean government established to resolve the issue of former workers from the Korean peninsula) Japan-Korea relations have made great progress over the past year since the Korean government announced a solution to this issue in March 2023. Our countries' leaders have resumed shuttle diplomacy, and seven summits have been held in total. The relationship can be expected to improve further next year, when we will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the normalization of Japan-Korea diplomatic relations.
Keidanren is working with the Federation of Korean Industries to further improve bilateral relations—for example, by establishing the Japan-Korea and Korea-Japan Future Partnership Funds—and I feel that we have been able to contribute something over the past year. In January, we invited 50 Korean high school teachers to Japan to help them better understand our country, and we plan to send Japanese high school teachers to Korea later this year. We will continue our efforts to promote youth exchanges and start-up exchanges between our countries.
Japan-Korea relations are currently better than ever in both the public and private sectors. I hope that the Korean government will continue to respond appropriately to the issue of former workers from the Korean peninsula in line with the solution it has developed.