Abe's New Cabinet Begins Work for Citizens' Dynamic Engagement

Tokyo, Oct. 8 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's new cabinet on Thursday began work to devise measures to revitalize the country, which is saddled with an aging and decreasing population. Holding up Abe's new banner of promoting the dynamic engagement of all citizens across Japan, the government will create a national council under Katsunobu Kato, who took up the newly created post of minister in charge of that portfolio in the cabinet reshuffle Wednesday. The council will take into account the voices of homemakers, students and people with disabilities, as well as of the welfare minister, other ministers and academic and other experts, government officials said. After discussions at the council, the government will release the first batch of measures to deal with a decrease in childbirths and strengthen the social security system by the end of this year. Also planned is a timetable for necessary measures to be taken. "We can't afford to waste any single day, given the current situation marked by a decrease in the number of children and an aging of the population," Kato told a news conference. "We'll figure out answers through wide-ranging discussions at the council." The council will work out measures to realize Abe's new targets of raising Japan's nominal gross domestic product to 600 trillion yen, achieving a total fertility rate of 1.8 and lowering to zero the number of people who have to quit their job to take care of their elderly parents and other family members. Key issues would include how to encourage women, elderly people and people with disabilities to play more active roles in society, and how to tackle child poverty. The government will also speed up preparations to set up the secretariat of the planned council. The secretariat, to be headed by Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kazuhiro Sugita, will invite those with expertise in economics, support for child-raising families and social security. END