Japan's dependent population ratio ranked seventh in the 2010 revision, but will become the highest in the revision. In other words, Japan faces the greatest population burden in the world.
Various effects of population onus on the economy and society
This is the basic direction we should follow in economic management in a period of population pressure. During a period of population pressure, due to a decline in the ratio of the labor force to the total population, there is often a shortage of available labor, which in turn limits growth.
Employment issues under population onus conditions
How much of a reduction in the labor force population results in a reduction in the working age. Now that the labor force population is an endogenous variable, it is possible to consider changes in the employment rate of women and the elderly.
Direction of required policies
Also from this point of view, it is necessary to improve the job opportunities and human capacity of young people. It is necessary to strengthen our workforce by increasing the labor force participation rate and improve the value of individuals as human resources by making more effective educational investments.
Policy Responses to Youth Employment Issues OHTA Souichi
Introduction
It should be noted that this trend is not limited to young people; The same development can be observed in unemployment among middle-aged and older people. It goes without saying that unemployed youth who are not in school are not necessarily unemployed.
Policies to increase company job offers to younger workers
On the other hand, if young and old are substitutable, the promotion of continuous employment will suppress the employment of young people. Conversely, if they provide complementary services, the employment of young people will actually improve.
Policies to improve the skills of younger workers
Thirdly, it will be important to make more effective use of the so-called gap concept in the future. The universities are doing this to meet globalization and this initiative is likely to play a potent role in attracting foreign students.
Policies to enhance the functions of the employment market
At the same time, one of the reasons why youth unemployment remains high seems to be that young workers often leave jobs they had such difficulty finding. In that sense, appropriate working hours and holiday management can also help prevent young people from leaving their jobs.
Liberalizing Trade and Investment and Ensuring Japan’s Competitiveness
Basic approach
Case studies indicate the effect of stimulating macro-technological progress and the effect of stimulating domestic investment as a result of trade (import) liberalization. In other words, trade liberalization is expected to improve the competitiveness of the export industry.
Japan’s trade investment and competitiveness: Current situation
However, from a macro perspective, it is more accurate to say that the improved productivity has created a corresponding increase in the strength of the yen. Let's continue to look at Japan's international balance of payments in the longer term (Table 1).
Policy deliberation
In the negotiation rounds of WTO and EPA negotiations, Japan's tariff reduction and other liberalization measures are always sought. Moreover, as discussed in the previous section, the liberalization of imports in the country also has the effect of improving the competitiveness of the export sector.
Desirable policy: Recommendations
As discussed in the previous section, there are concerns about the hollowing out of the industry; however, it is appropriate to correct the factors that force the external transfer of non-equilibrium firms rather than not proceeding with investment liberalization and protection. However, when employment adjustment goes smoothly, income levels will rise, which then leads to employment for the service industry in the country to compensate for the loss.
Toward Expanding Sluggish Inward Foreign Direct Investment in Japan
Inward foreign direct investment in Japan is at a low level
Foreign direct investment in Japan has been increasing since the 1990s with some fluctuations (Figure 1). Let's look at the investor countries and the recipient sectors of foreign direct investment in Japan (Table 1).
Significance of inward foreign direct investment for the Japanese economy
The figure shows that the profit margin of foreign-affiliated companies exceeded the profit margin of all commercial companies (mostly Japanese companies) throughout the analysis period. This analysis result shows that foreign affiliated companies achieve high profit margins because they are more efficient than Japanese companies.
Impediments to foreign companies entering the Japanese market
In the case of regulation of other industrial sectors for the special conditions of the country in question, the OECD must be notified of the industrial sector as a reserved sector. The closed nature of the market due to customary practices of private companies and government regulations inhibits inward FDI, as recognized by existing research.
Response by the Japanese government to increase inward foreign direct investment in Japan
The Japanese government's measures to support foreign direct investment began in 1984 with the Japan Development Bank's low-interest loan scheme. As a promotional policy for foreign direct investment at the regional level, foreign-affiliated companies are provided with the same subsidy as Japanese companies, such as a reduction or exemption from local taxes and subsidies.
Toward expanding foreign direct investment in Japan
Preparing an M&A-friendly environment, compared to other developed countries, will help increase inward foreign direct investment. In order to create such a positive growth cycle, policies such as those discussed in this section should be implemented to increase inward foreign direct investment.
Regulatory/Systemic Reforms for Maintaining/Enhancing Competitiveness: The Importance of Developing a Multi-tiered
Strategy NAKAGAWA Junji
Historical development and the international context of regulatory/systemic reforms
The current international context of regulatory and systemic reforms differs significantly from those in the past in the following three aspects. In addition to regulatory/systemic reforms through traditional channels such as (1) unilateral imitation or referral and (2) response to foreign pressure between two countries, regulatory/systemic reforms are currently being promoted in a multi-layered manner, taking into account (3) the intentions of both domestic and foreign companies, through (4) multilateral or (5) bilateral and regional forums.
Regulatory/systemic reforms aimed at trade and investment liberalization and expansion
The WTO TRIMs Agreement addresses (2) the prohibition of performance requirements, while the TRIPS Agreement provides for (7) limitation of government intervention in technology transfer agreements and (8) increased protection of intellectual property rights in the country of investment (including improved enforcement). Measures to ensure investment access to the Japanese market by foreign companies include (1) relaxation or elimination of investment restrictions in the Japanese market and (2) liberalization of the government procurement market.
TPP and regulatory/systemic reforms
The following table summarizes the above discussion on the impact of the TPP on the rules and systems of Japan and other parties to the partnership. First, the TPP is powerless for regulatory/systemic reforms in the areas not covered by the partnership.
Developing R&D Capabilities Suited to International Standard Acquisition
- Competitiveness of Japan's R&D
- The capacity of Japan’s R&D to absorb science
- International expansion of R&D
- International co-inventions
- International business expansion
- Conclusion
The US share of patents in these areas is higher than that of Japan. In the high-tech sector of the manufacturing industry, it is even lower than in the USA.
Development of Internationally Viable Human Resources
Open Recruitment of Graduates for National Civil Service A Case Study of Australia 1
Percentages of graduate degree holders in humanities: International comparison
The fundamental reason that many members of Japan's elite do not have a university education is that both the public and private sectors primarily employ bachelor's degree holders. Accordingly, officials in Australian policymaking bodies who are classified as bachelor's degree holders may be considered master's degree holders in the American sense of the term.
Institutional reason the Australian government is able to hire graduate degree holders: Open recruitment
Because undergraduate law majors require a double major in another field, they require four years to graduate. Although the government does not have a numerical percentage of graduate degree holders overall as individual ministries are empowered to recruit and appoint in Australia, it is said that essentially all the professionals in policy-making bodies with a humanities background bachelor's degree with honors or a higher academic degree.
Open recruitment of civil servants in Australia (1) Recruitment methods
Recruitment in all the categories described above is left to the discretion of individual ministries and agencies. The role of the Public Service Commission is to ensure the transparency and openness of the system.
Open recruitment of civil servants around the world
In contrast to the centralized recruitment system used by the Public Service Commission, the secretaries of various ministries and agencies initiated a reform in 1987 to move to position-based recruitment to be free to hire at their own discretion. Promotion is based on an individual's entry year and grade level rather than a specific post.
Recruitment by the Australian government of graduate degree holders
The following are two examples of the establishment of a structure aimed at educating bureaucrats. According to Briggs, a former commissioner of the Australian Public Service Commission, and others, the government finds degree holders attractive in the following ways.
Education programs for civil servants at Australian universities
Subjects such as history are also useful in terms of providing writing skills and generally training individuals to see things from a higher perspective. Ministries and agencies attach great importance to assessments as an evaluation of skills required as a civil servant, such as presenting and writing research papers.
Institutions supporting the hiring system (1) Secretaries Board
The fact that the Secretaries thus led the overall reform of the Australian civil service deserves special attention. The Commissioner's goal is to ensure, from a neutral perspective, that fairness is maintained in the recruitment process of individual ministries.
Comparison of Japanese and Australian civil service hiring systems: Summary (1) Similarities of Japanese and Australian personnel systems
These developments led to the formal establishment of the Board of Secretaries under the Act in 2010. The second is the exercise of power, which by law is supposed to be independent of the current government.
Conclusion
Advisory Group on Reform of Australian Government Administration, “AHEAD OF THE GAME Blueprint for the reform of Australian Government Administration”, March 2010. 1 This study was made possible with the full support of Professor Jenny Corbett of the Australian National University Crawford School of Economics and government.
Appendix
Section 29(3)(a) of the Public Service Act states that a ground for termination of employment is where an employee has exceeded the requirements of an agency. I have also included a link to the Australian Public Service Commission's guide on termination of employment (http://www.apsc.gov.au/employmentpolicy/termination.htm) for your information.
Rebuilding Japan's International Competitiveness and Developing Global Human Resources
From the Perspective of Competition with South Korea and China FUKAGAWA Yukiko
Collapse of the competitive advantage of Japanese companies Structural changes in the late 2000s
- Changes in the competitive positions of Japan, South Korea and China 1. Reversal of the performance of Japanese and South Korean companies
While the shift progressed primarily in the PC and digital home appliance segments, Japanese companies that had vertically integrated their business. Considering that the South Korean market is only about a fifth of the Japanese market, they achieved their extensive business growth during the course of globalization.
