Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe intends that all new policies be aimed at economic growth, he said at a press conference after being reelected as president of the Liberal Democratic Party on Sept. 24.
Abe emphasized the "firing of new three arrows" as the centerpiece of his policy.
The first arrow: Realizing the "largest economy since the end of World War II."
The second arrow: Raising the average number of children a woman has from its current rate of about 1.4 to about 1.8 to curb the decline in the Japanese population.
The third arrow: Establishing a social security system that can lead to public peace of mind, such as by eliminating the necessity for people to leave their jobs to provide nursing care for their parents by the early 2020s.
With the enactment of the security legislation, Abe has repeatedly expressed his view that he would return to giving top priority to the economy. Abenomics - which began with the second Abe Cabinet formed in December 2012 - has delivered a favorable cycle of high stock prices and correction of the overvalued yen through bold monetary easing, transforming an economy that had sunk under the weight of long-term deflation. It was a "quick fix" policy, so to speak.
However, a fundamental reform of Japanese society is considered essential to deliver growth over the long term. Abe has mentioned elderly people who can still work and the large number of women who still leave work to marry and for other reasons because he aims to reduce "negative factors for economic growth," even if just slightly.
The reason Abe's focus has settled on the nursing care problem is that the economic impact caused by the decline of the workforce can no longer be ignored - the number of people forced to leave their jobs annually to provide nursing care has exceeded 100,000.
In 2020, about 8 million baby boomers, born between 1947 and 1949, will be over 70 years old, making the nursing care problem all the more severe. If the "junior baby boomers" born between 1971 and 1974, who are in their 40s and the primes of their careers, were to leave their jobs in quick succession to provide nursing care, "the economy and society would fall apart," the prime minister has said.
Many leave work to provide nursing care because there is a chronic shortage of nursing care facilities, such as special nursing homes for the elderly (See below) operated by social welfare corporations and local governments, which forces family members to provide care at home.
There are an estimated 150,000 people currently waiting for openings at these facilities. This number is expected to exceed 200,000 in 2025.
Even more serious is the shortage of caregiver personnel. According to an estimate by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, 2.53 million workers handling nursing care will be needed in fiscal 2025, though a shortage of 380,000 workers is expected if things remain as they are.
While the government intends to expand the use of workers from overseas, no large-scale acceptance of foreign workers is foreseen. Even with an increase in facilities, shortages in manpower could very well prove detrimental to their operation.
The Washington Post
Mon Oct 12 2015
Abe has repeatedly expressed his view that he would return to giving top priority to the economy.
Kerajaan teliti kaedah baharu lantikan tetap, pastikan kewangan negara lebih mampan
Kerajaan sedang meneliti kaedah baharu lantikan tetap bagi memastikan pengurusan kewangan negara yang lebih mampan.
PDRM gerak unit skuba forensik, K9 cari telefon, rantai Nur Farah Kartini hari ini
Proses mencari bahan bukti akan dimulakan sekitar jam 9 pagi di kawasan parit berhampiran ladang kelapa sawit berkenaan.
Bangkai pesawat MH17 tanpa sayap imbau kekejaman tragedi menyayat hati
Keadaan serpihan pesawat MH17 Malaysia Airlines (MAS) yang cuba dibina semula tanpa sayap, tayar, ekor dan tempat duduk penumpang cukup menggerunkan sekali gus mengingatkan pada kekejaman yang meragut
VOP akan diselesaikan dalam tempoh sebulan - Ahmad
Pelaksanaan Syarat Perubahan Harga (VOP) susulan penyasaran subsidi diesel dijangka diselesaikan dalam tempoh sebulan lagi, kata Timbalan Menteri Kerja Raya Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan.
Industri minyak sawit disaran guna semula sisa untuk bahan api penerbangan mampan - Liew
Industri minyak sawit perlu mengkaji penggunaan semula sisa sebagai stok suapan penting untuk bahan api penerbangan mampan (SAF), di luar penggunaan tradisional minyak sawit.
SDG: UTP lahir pelajar berkemahiran, tinggi tanggungjawab sosial
UTP berhasrat mendidik pelajar bukan sahaja untuk mahir dalam aspek teknikal tetapi juga untuk menjadi warganegara yang bertanggungjawab.
MAA semak semula unjuran jualan kenderaan 2024 kepada 765,000 unit
Persatuan Automotif Malaysia (MAA) telah menyemak semula unjuran jualan kenderaan bermotor baharu bagi 2024 kepada 765,000 unit daripada anggaran sebelumnya sebanyak 740,000 unit.
RUU 355: Pindaan perlu untuk praktikaliti, keadilan
Apa sahaja pindaan terhadap akta itu perlu berjalan selari dengan persediaan mereka yang bertanggungjawab melaksanakannya.
Rasionalisasi RON95 dijangka beri impak lebih besar kepada PKS - SAMENTA
SAMENTA menjangkakan rasionalisasi RON95 akan memberi impak yang lebih besar kepada perusahaan kecil dan sederhana (PKS) berbanding pelarasan subsidi diesel.
Malaysia sasar pengeluaran 40 peratus sektor akuakultur menjelang 2030
Malaysia menyasarkan pengeluaran 40 peratus hasil sektor akuakultur menjelang 2030 dalam usaha membantu mengimbangi keperluan perikanan negara.