Japan has good health outcomes and has rapidly increased its spending on health care in recent years. It now needs to focus on improving efficiency of its health system in order to continue delivering high-quality care while containing costs, according to a new OECD report.

The effective age of labour market exit in Japan is one of the highest in OECD. Retirement-income adequacy may be an issue for future cohorts of retirees...

This note presents key findings for Japan from Society at a Glance 2014 - OECD Social indicators. This 2014 publication also provides a special chapter on: the crisis and its aftermath: a “stress test” for societies and for social policies.

Note summarising the performance of 15-year-olds in Japan in the PISA 2012 assessment of problem solving.

Japan joined the OECD in 1964, the same year it hosted the summer Olympic Games in Tokyo. OECD membership signalled Japan’s successful transition into a fully industrialised economy, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida writes on the 50th anniversary of his country’s accession.

Firstly, and most importantly, this year marks Japan’s golden jubilee: 50 years as a member of the OECD. Japan was our first Asia-Pacific member country, and has paved the way to strengthen the OECD’s ties within the region. This year, for the second time, Japan is chairing our Ministerial Council Meeting – the most important annual decision-making event of the Organization, said Angel Gurría.

After two decades of low growth and persistent deflation, Japan is showing signs of renewed economic dynamism. But to regain its primacy as a leading economic powerhouse and raise the well-being of its citizens, Japan needs a structural reform package to narrow the productivity gap with leading OECD countries, notably by increasing the labour participation of women and older citizens.

Mr. Angel Gurría was in Japan from 6 to 10 April 2014 to commemorate the country’s 50th anniversary of membership of the Organisation. The OECD Secretary-General was received in Audience by Crown Prince Naruhito, and held a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Abe, to whom he presented the report “OECD Better Policies Japan - Advancing the Third Arrow for a Resilient Economy and Inclusive Growth”.

Due to serious concerns about the extremely low level of enforcement of Japan’s offence of bribing foreign public officials – just three prosecutions since 1999 – the OECD Working Group on Bribery recommended in December 2013 that Japan establish an Action Plan to organise police and prosecution resources to be able to proactively detect, investigate and prosecute cases of foreign bribery by Japanese companies.

Country notes highlight some key findings from TALIS 2013 for individual countries and economies

Japan has increased its spending on overseas development assistance (ODA) and is showing more global leadership, but needs to pay more attention to where it is spending the money and increase its focus on results and transparency.

Eight giant balloons from Japan floated in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower this weekend, a reminder of one of the worst natural disasters of recent times – and of the determination of survivors to rebuild their region.

The Japan-OECD Policy Forum on Urban Development and Green Growth will address cities’ unique role in creating synergies between environmental and economic objectives to advance green growth. Asian cities in particular are at the centre of this challenge. This event is organised as a commemorative event for the 50th Anniversary of Japan's Accession to the OECD.

Elderly individuals with complex, chronic diseases need continuous and tailored care to maintain their health and maximise their ability to participate in society. Japan must change the way it delivers health services for older citizens by strengthening its specialist primary care and making mental health care services more widely available, according to a new OECD report.

This publication highlights new evidence on policies to support job creation, bringing together the latest research on labour market, entrepreneurship and local economic development policy to help governments support job creation in the recovery. It also includes a set of country pages featuring, among other things, new data on skills supply and demand at the level of smaller OECD regions (TL3).

Highest life expectancy in Japan has been attained through a series of public health actions and universal health coverage.

Japan could help laid-off workers find a job more quickly by improving co-ordination between public employment services and companies, as well as ensuring that all workers benefit from adequate Employment Insurance (EI) benefits, according to a new OECD report.

The global economy continues to run at low speed and many countries, particularly in Europe, seem unable to overcome the legacies of the crisis. With high unemployment, high inequality and low trust still weighing heavily, it is imperative to swiftly implement reforms that boost demand and employment and raise potential growth.

It was with immense sadness that I learned of the tragic execution of Kenji at the hands of the terrorists from Islamic State. We strongly condemn this terrible and odious act, as well as other killings carried out by ISIS.

Going for Growth 2015: Key findings for Japan

The OECD event "Risk Governance and Resilient Cities" will examine how risk governance can better manage complex risks and how to improve the resilience of cities to these risks.

Water resources allocation determines who is able to use water resources, how, when and where. Capturing information from 27 OECD countries and key partner economies, the report presents key findings from the OECD Survey of Water Resources Allocation and case studies of successful allocation reform.

I am delighted to be at Tokyo University this afternoon for the launch of the Innovative Schools Network. As one of Asia’s foremost institutions of education, one which prides itself on moving forward the frontiers of human knowledge in the interests of society at large, Todai (Tokyo University) is the perfect setting for today’s event.

The Japanese economy is on a path to stronger growth, but fundamental structural reforms are urgently needed to promote a more robust recovery, address high levels of government debt and reverse a trend toward declining living standards, according to the latest OECD Economic Survey of Japan.

Levels of alcohol consumption in Japan are slightly below the OECD average and have slightly decreased in the last 20 years. In 2012, an average of 7.2 litres of pure alcohol per capita was consumed in Japan, compared with an estimate of 9.1 litres in the OECD.

This country note provides information on latest trends in income inequalities as well as key findings from the 2015 OECD report "In it Together: Why less inequality benefits all".

The rise in Internet usage among young people has seen a corresponding increase in international concern regarding their online safety. In line with the Recommendation on the Protection of Children Online, the Japanese government has initiated efforts to develop improved indicators to measure Internet literacy among youth.

Japan has been successful at reducing the mortality due to cardiovascular diseases (CVD) but there is room to reduce the burden of CVD and diabetes even more.

日本は心疾患による死亡率を減少させるのに成功したが、心疾患と糖尿病の負担をさらに減らす余 地は残されている

日本の医療の質は総じて非常に良好だが、糖尿病の管理、心臓発作（急性心筋梗塞）の治療とがん対策はさらに改善・強化できるだろう。

The quality of health care is generally very good in Japan but further improvement can be made in the management of diabetes, treatment of heart attack (AMI), and cancer control. In Japan, per capita spending on pharmaceuticals is the second highest in the OECD after the United States. Spending on pharmaceuticals could be reduced by increasing the share of the generic market.

This 4-page online document presents the key findings from OECD Pensions at a Glance 2015 and why it is important for Japan. It also identifies two key pension policy measures which would help improve the performance of pension systems in Japan

Data from the Japanese government suggest there are currently over 1 000 shipyards in Japan. Some of these yards are privately owned individual enterprises, while others form part of larger private or public companies that operate multiple yards. Japan’s shipbuilders exist within a wider maritime cluster that provides crucial upstream and downstream products and services.

On the occasion of the 5th anniversary of 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, OECD Secretary-General, Angel Gurría, shared his sustained support for the victims and their families.

Japan must make revitalising growth its number one priority with reforms to boost productivity and encourage more women and older people into jobs to compensate for its rapidly shrinking labour force, according to the OECD.

Japan, one of the founding members of the OECD Development Centre, conveyed its intention to return as a member. Prime Minister Abe and Minister of Foreign Affairs Fumio Kishida confirmed Japan's commitment to the OECD Secretary General Gurría and Development Centre’s Director Mario Pezzini during their visit to Tokyo earlier this week.

Japan, one of the founding members of the OECD Development Centre, makes a welcome return to the Centre. Japan’s re-entry is one of the milestones during a seminal week of activities at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, including celebrating the 2016 OECD Week, holding its Ministerial Council Meeting and convening a High-Level Meeting of its Development Centre Governing Board.

In December 2014, the OECD Working Group on Bribery in International Business Transactions agreed to send a High Level Mission to Japan due to longstanding serious concerns about Japan’s implementation of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention.

A high-level Working Group mission will visit Tokyo on 29-30 June 2016 and meet senior Japanese government officials.

The OECD Working Group on Bribery in International Transactions has continuously urged Japan since 2002 to strengthen its efforts to fight bribery by Japanese companies in their foreign business activities, and implementation of the Convention on Combating the Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions.

This country note provides an environmental tax and carbon pricing profile for Japan. It shows environmentally related tax revenues, taxes on energy use and effective carbon rates.

The number of young people not in employment, education or training (NEETs) remains elevated in many countries since the crisis. This country note examines the characteristics of those at risk of being NEET in Japan with policies to help meet the challenge. It also includes many new youth-specific indicators on family formation, self-sufficiency, income and poverty, health and social cohesion.

This country note presents student performance in science, reading and mathematics, and measures equity in education in Japan.

Biographical note of Japan's Permanent Representative to the OECD.

The Japanese economy has gained momentum and is creating jobs, according to a new OECD report. The latest OECD Economic Survey of Japan, presented in Tokyo by OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría, says that per capita growth rates in recent years have matched those across the OECD – a major improvement. The Survey underlines the key role Abenomics has played in the economic revival.

Facilitating female employment is particularly important given Japan’s shrinking and ageing population, which has already contributed to labour shortages.

To improve productivity and help address socio-economic challenges, such as ageing, Japan needs to strengthen its innovation performance.

Between 1999 and 2014, the number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Japan dropped by 21% as a result of the retirement of ageing business owners and weak entrepreneurial intentions in the Japanese population.

Japan should step up efforts to improve young people’s job prospects and reduce the share of 15-29 year-olds who are not in employment, education or training (the “NEETs”), according to a new OECD report.

Selected findings for Japan from the report "The Pursuit of Gender Equality: An Uphill Battle"