Provisonal 1 Basic Outlook and Key Strategies 1. Key ideas (1) Introduction In the "New Economic Policy Package" released at the end of last year, the 3 years until fiscal 2020 were set for Productivity Revolution and the Fiscal Consolidation Plan. The government has doubled down on the implementation of a variety of measures, including bolder tax policies, budget, and regulatory reforms. Various measures have also been proposed so as to raise the productivity of the entire Japanese economy toward the realization of "Society ". "Future Investment Strategy 2018" will expand the scope and timeframe of the growth strategies while steadily implementing various measures based on the considerations of the past half a year. Capitalizing on the technological innovations of the Fourth industrial Revolution, past efforts will be reevaluated and new mechanisms introduced in order to fully realize "Society.
1 Provisonal 1 Basic Outlook and Key Strategies 1. Key ideas (1) Introduction In the "New Economic Policy Package" released at the end of last year, the 3 years until fiscal 2020 were set for Productivity Revolution and the Fiscal Consolidation Plan. The government has doubled down on the implementation of a variety of measures, including bolder tax policies, budget, and regulatory reforms. Various measures have also been proposed so as to raise the productivity of the entire Japanese economy toward the realization of "Society ". "Future Investment Strategy 2018" will expand the scope and timeframe of the growth strategies while steadily implementing various measures based on the considerations of the past half a year. Capitalizing on the technological innovations of the Fourth industrial Revolution, past efforts will be reevaluated and new mechanisms introduced in order to fully realize "Society.
2 (2) Current status of the New Economic Policy Package Various measures included in the New Economic Policy Package: - Establishment and enforcement of the "the Act on Special Measures for Productivity Improvement" (regulatory sandbox, promotion of industrial data utilization etc.). - Tax reduction on capital investment by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Establishment and enforcement of tax policies such as the reduction of corporate tax on companies actively investing in equipment and IT. - Execution of budget measures such as "Subsidy for Manufacturing and Service of SMEs ". - Promotion of regulatory reforms such as the "System Improvements of Self-Driving Cars". Each component of the plan has seen steady progress. However, as the gap between supply and demand is increasing, the Economic Policy Package and implementation of Society are both underway to drastically raise potential 1.
3 Provisonal growth rate. As such, sound policy-making is indispensable in order to move on to the next step of development. (3) Global trends and Japan's standing In the world today, implementation of ICT such as AI, big data, IoT has progressed rapidly as the digital revolution made its mark in society. Leading companies in the United States and China continue to occupy new markets with innovative digital products, services, and systems, and that is where investments are flowing worldwide. There is also competition internationally over the new "fuel" that is data and highly skilled workers that can make use of the data to produce new ideas and increase added value. On the other hand, there have been concerns that the sound development of economic and social systems may be hindered by "data hegemony", in which some companies or countries try to monopolize data.
4 Under such circumstances, Japan is blessed with abundant "real data" obtained from the technological expertise of companies, research, and development from universities, a highly- educated working population, and expertise in the fields of manufacturing and healthcare industry. Not to mention the high rate of corporate and household investments. Yet, it cannot be said that Japan has fully made use of all these resources in a strategic and timely manner to improve the country's economy. If prompt action is not taken, Japan may drown in the tide of new international competition. Furthermore, Japan is a developed country that faces various social issues such as declining population and birthrates, aging population, as well as environmental and energy challenges. With rich real data from the ground, there is an opportunity to affect the status quo by illustrating the problem precisely and consequently solving it through the utilization of data and innovative technology.
5 While Japan faces population decline more rapid than of the rest of the world, but compared to other countries, it is in an advantageous position where the incorporation of new technologies such as AI and robots into society is less likely to cause social problems like unemployment. In order to make this opportunity a reality, both private and public sectors are turning away from introspection and over-reliance on past experiences of success, going beyond existing frameworks of organizations and industries, as well as technology and human resources. 2. Provisonal Advancements in open innovation through new ways of bringing together data and industries will no doubt be essential. (4) A strategic approach to the realization of Society . As a result of the Fourth industrial Revolution, society will experience industrial digitalization and improvements in productivity.
6 Social issues like aging population, energy and the environmental needs can thus be solved by making the best use of Japan's strengths and resources. Society , which is sustainable and inclusive socio-economic systems with a distinctively Japanese character, can then be realized and it will contribute to achievement of the SDGs1. Whilst there are concerns of "digital autocracy" in which society is dominated by a minority who monopolize data, the utilization of all kinds of data can generate a new model that cannot be achieved by only focusing on short-term gain. For example, businesses can innovate solutions for social issues if data was shared as a public as well as stimulate greater innovation by different industry players. This may only be possible if the potential benefits Society can bring to society and people's lives are illustrated as clearly as possible and disseminated among the citizens.
7 It is also important to differentiate said reforms of traditional institutions and social structures from past successes in order to achieve the goal of Society . These efforts will drastically increase the potential growth potential of the Japanese economy and further boost nominal GDP from 600 trillion yen (circa 2020), to greatly improve national income, quality of life and Japan's international competitiveness. Considering the fact other countries will also face social challenges similar to Japan's in the future, the competition for providing solutions to these challenges will no doubt intensify. Therefore, the next few years can be said to be a turning point for our country, and we need to move forward with resolve and haste. 1. Sustainable Development Goals 3. Provisonal 2. Changes brought by Fourth industrial Revolution Technologies/ New Developments: "Society ".
8 The new technological innovations of the Fourth industrial Revolution are expected to drastically exceed the boundaries of human capabilities (AI as the brain, robots as muscle and IoT as the nerves). By utilizing the abundance of real data, various social problems can be solved by providing personalized products and services instead of conventional mass production/mass consumption type of goods and services, thereby creating greater added value. Consequently, what we have once thought was a distant future has become an achievable reality. The realization of Society is expected to bring about great changes and opportunities in all aspects of society and the economy. (1) Changes in lifestyles and industry (i) Automation: Manpower shortage due to migration and the logistics revolution . Reducing the number of vulnerable persons Various fields are moving towards automation as a result of advancements in AI and robotics.
9 For example, the successful implementation of driverless cars will lead to reductions in traffic accidents, increase accessibility to disconnected communities, realize safe and secure society, and also leading to greater logistical efficacy in spite of labor shortages. The revolution in communication brought about by machine translation ("code- switching") has the potential to change the way knowledge and expertise is acquired and disseminated to and from Japan by bypassing the existing language barriers. With automation and improvements in efficiency via AI and robotics, the focus of human activities shifts to brainwork that makes full use of the five senses, collaboration and knowledge- sharing. (ii) Remote/real-time feedback: Creation of new services by overcoming spatial and temporal constraints The graphics and sound quality improvements of IoT technology have made the provision of services that were once limited by geographical constraints possible.
10 For example, both 4. Provisonal residents of rural areas with poor transportation and residents of busy urban areas can receive the same necessary medical services and education services without significant cost. Instead of shopping at a brick and mortar store, online shopping using smartphone applications will deliver the item to your doorstep in a timely manner. In addition, people living in areas that were considered disadvantaged locations would be able to have clients from all over the world without ever having to leave their area for work. In essence, it will be possible to provide unique products and services to the world while living on an island surrounded by flora and fauna. This means that everyone would be granted equal opportunities for success. (2) Changes in the "basis" of economic activity The basis for 20th-century economics has always been the stability of 'energy' and 'finance'.
1 The Action Plan for the Realization of Work Style Reform March 28, 2017 Decided by the Council for the Realization of Work Style Reform 1.