Employment Measures the Government should Take
1. Expansion of Employment Safety Nets
It is feared that the employment situation in Japan will get worse and more serious inthe future. In addition to the support for the efforts made by the individual companies
to maintain their employment, the government should ensure indispensable
employment safety nets centering on the expansion of unemployment benefits andother benefits.
The government is called on to take the following measures:
1) More alleviation of the requirements for employment adjustment subsidy and more
expansion of its rate, while promoting public awareness of the system andsimplifying its application procedures;
2) An early implementation of more alleviation of the payment requirements forunemployment benefits and of more expansion of those who covered by theemployment insurance system;3) Expansion of the public vocational training programs to allow trainees to shift tostable jobs; in this context, it is requested to diversify the training subjects in linewith the needs of the society and enterprises, and to improve higher level of trainings
through longer- term training period; and4) Arrangements to provide housing to the unemployed who were forced out of company
dormitories immediately at low cost, not only through maximum securing ofemployment promotion houses but also through leasing private apartment houses andother houses by the central or local governments.
2. Job Creation
On the basis of intensively substantial expansion of government’s expenditures for thefields linked to our future economic growth and productivity improvement, it isessential for the government to create new demands and new jobs positively. In
particular, job creation in the fields of nursing care, child-care and agriculture isimportant for securing public safety and for maintaining vitality of regional and local
economies.
The government is asked to take the following measures:1) Improving and maintaining infrastructures linked to strengthening competition,
including :(a) Improvement and maintenance works for physical distribution and transportation
networks;- Harbors: Strengthening wide-range cooperation among Keihin Port, Ise Bay,

Hanshin Port and other ports, and improvement and maintenance works forshipping containers for overseas trade;- Airports: Drastic internationalization of Haneda Airport to aim at attracting
tourists to Japan, an international tourist destination, more capacity
expansion of the airports in the Greater Tokyo Metropolitan area including
New Tokyo International Airport (Narita Airport), and as well improvement of
the access to Narita Airport from the center of Tokyo;- Roads: An early construction of three belt high ways in the Greater Tokyo
Metropolitan area and urgent construction of national roads in the place whereinternational sea containers are unable to reach;(b) Making public facilities earthquake-proof and ecology-minded, repairs andmaintenance works of obsolete roads and bridges, and measures against localized
torrential downpour;(c) Development of farmland bases through regenerating abandoned farmlands,
promotion of the entry of corporate management system and new farmers into
agriculture, and promotion of cooperation among agriculture, commerce andindustry.
(d) Employment support for nurturing forests (mowing of weeds, trimming andothers) through subsidizing for wages, alleviating premium rate of accident
insurance and taking other measures.
2) Strengthening the foundation of research and development, and the infrastructure of
information and communication, including;(a) Promotion of the foundation of electronics administration all over the central andlocal governments,(b) Expansion of hub universities for fostering high level of IT professionals,(c) Promotion of the development of electric automobiles and the development of
infrastructures for its purpose, and(d) Substantial expansion of the government’s research and development investments
and accelerated promotion of “Innovative Technologies Strategy.”3) Upkeep and promotion of the bases for securing public safety(a) Promotion of various types of houses or care facilities for elderly people.
(b) Expansion of childcare support services including the increase of childcare
facilities.
(c) Reinstatement support for those persons with the nursing care and childcare
qualifications as well as support for acquiring qualifications.
(d) Alleviation of the requirements for qualifications so as to expand childcare givers.