Home > Policy > White Paper, Notice, Announcement > White Paper > Annual Report on the Promotion of Science and Technology 1998 > Part1 Chapter1 Section1 1

* The serious limitations of Japan's socioeconomic system have been seen, uncertainty and anxiety about the future are increasing, and there is a sense of stagnation throughout the entire social structure. Drastic response measures are necessary.

* An era of intense global competition has arrived, and worries about declines in domestic industry and employment persist. New industrial innovation and an environment which fosters such innovation are needed, and structural changes by means such as correcting the high cost structure must be implemented.

* With a rapidly aging population and fewer and fewer children, there are worries that labor shortages, and, subsequently, that a general decrease in society's strength may result. Structural reforms, including steps to develop and utilize the potential of women and the elderly, are needed to avoid labor shortages and declines in society's well-being.

* Compared to the United States, Japan's endeavors to create an advanced information technology society have been slow. Moreover, technology in Asian countries continues to improve. Japan must redouble efforts to achieve an advanced information technology society.

* Japan must build a society in which the people -- especially the children who will carry on the next generations -- have hopes and dreams for the future, and in which the realization of these hopes and dreams is only a question of effort and determination.