On December 2, the Japanese government took significant action - launching a domestic version of the "Efficiency Reform Department." The first meeting went straight to the point: to identify those inefficient tax policies and subsidy programs, cutting what needs to be cut and optimizing what needs to be optimized.
Finance Minister Katsuya Nakayama said frankly in an interview after the meeting: "We need to spend every penny wisely and draw a clear line from the previous government's practices. This is not just about saving money, but also about everyone’s confidence in the country, in the yen, and in the entire market." It sounds like this government is serious about making changes.
Interestingly, after the Governor of the Bank of Japan, Kazuo Ueda, signaled that "the economic outlook is good, and interest rates may need to be raised," Minister of State for Economic Growth, Saito Katsuya, specifically emphasized that there is no divergence between the government and the central bank in economic judgment. This was reiterated by Minister of State for Economic Growth, Ueno Masaru, following the same line—clearly a unified statement from the Cabinet, aimed at reassuring the market.
Finance reform