2015年

Japan SPOTLIGHT November/December 2015 issue

COVER STORY:Disaster Mitigation
Global Discussion & Developments
Disaster Risk Mitigation is now one of the major issues being discussed at various international venues, including the United Nations and the OECD, against the background of increasing awareness of the need to be well prepared for large-scale natural disasters, such as Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami in 2011.

The UN Sendai Conference in March 2015 sent a message to the world that we should get together and collaborate with each other, not only at national government level but also among private businesses and individuals and NGOs, to be well prepared for disasters. Knowledge of how to minimize potential damage inflicted by a disaster is a starting point for Disaster Risk Mitigation, but it is a much broader concept involving national resilience against any disaster and requiring collaboration and coherent efforts among all the players in a globalized world to achieve it. This is mostly a matter of software and not hardware, and thus education and exchange of information among national governments, private sectors and NGOs would be instrumental in achieving it.

Japan SPOTLIGHT September/October 2015 issue

COVER STORY:White Paper on International Economy and Trade, 2015
METI's White Paper featured by Japan SPOTLIGHT every year is an important indicator to readers outside Japan of where the Japanese economy is heading against the backdrop of the global economy. This year it focuses in particular on the "earning capacity" of Japanese businesses. The elaborate and detailed economic analyses shown in the White Paper indicate some serious concerns about the competitiveness of Japanese business in an era of globalization.

Japan SPOTLIGHT July/August 2015 issue

COVER STORY:Global Growth Strategy
Can We Find a Way Out of the Post-Financial Crisis?
In the post-2008 financial crisis, the global economy and the major economies have undergone a great deal of turbulence. 2015 seems to be a junction from where we head. This issue invites opinions from several distinguished commentators for their views on the current global economic landscape, and opportunities and risks facing major world economies.

Japan SPOTLIGHT May/June 2015 issue

COVER STORY:"Amazing Tokyo"-Beyond 2020
Metropolis Hoping to Be a Model of Peace & Friendliness
The year 2020, when Tokyo will host the Olympics and Paralympics, is certainly a target year for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to make significant progress in its reforms, but it would aim to continue its work to revitalize the whole city beyond 2020.
This issue will cover the amazing story of Tokyo's structural reforms aimed at turning Tokyo into a major global city that can attract people and business from all over the world.

Japan SPOTLIGHT March/April 2015 issue

COVER STORY:Innovation - Reality or Dream?
Predicting the Future of Technology, Economy & Society
This time we highlight "Innovation", celebrating our 200th issue. As everybody knows, we would need innovation to realize an utopian society which we could define as high economic growth, peace and prosperity, a long and healthy life span, and consistency between the global environment and economic prosperity. What kind of innovation can be expected and how it can be achieved by policies will be the principal questions addressed.

Japan SPOTLIGHT January/February 2015 issue

COVER STORY: Labor Market Reform - Key to Enhancing Individual Creativity
~Happy Workers Would Revitalize the Japanese Economy
The Japan SPOTLIGHT Jan./Feb. 2015 issue highlights "Labor Market Reform", one of the key structural reform items of Abenomics. How Japan can take advantage of the non-Japanese labor force, including immigrants, will be one of the main topics tackled in this issue. This is a controversial subject and we hope to stimulate a variety of views in response to our articles.