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”.

The OECD has now grown into an institution of truly global relevance. And Japan, which was the first Asian country to join the organisation, is now a world economic giant. It is a great honour to introduce the Chairman of the 2014 Ministerial Council Meeting, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is increasingly recognised worldwide as an efficient waste management policy to help improve recycling and reduce landfilling of products and materials. This Forum took place on 17-19 June 2014, in Tokyo, Japan, to identify key challenges and opportunities for further developing EPR policies.

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

Through the Tohoku School Project, the students have developed their capacities for innovation, leadership, and co-operation. They learned how to get the information they need when there isn’t a readymade answer in their textbook or a teacher to guide them. In other words, they learned how to learn – perhaps the most valuable lesson of all! said OECD Secretary-General.

A moderate expansion is underway in most major advanced and emerging economies, but growth remains weak in the euro area, which runs the risk of prolonged stagnation if further steps are not taken to boost demand, according to the OECD’s latest Interim Economic Assessment.

An ecosystem assessment is a social process through which the findings of science concerning the causes of ecosystem change, their consequences for human well-bring, and the management and policy options are evaluated. The main objective of the paper is to draw insights from experience in the UK, Japan, Spain and Portugal of the added value to policy making of undertaking national level ecosystem assessments.

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.

While the outlook for many OECD countries remains subdued, Emerging Asia is set for healthy growth over the medium term. Annual GDP growth for the ASEAN -10, China and India is forecast to average 6.5% over 2015-19. Growth momentum remains robust in the 10 ASEAN countries, with economic growth averaging 5.6% over 2015-19.

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

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

Low oil prices and monetary easing are boosting growth in the world’s major economies, but the near-term pace of expansion remains modest, withabnormally low inflation and interest rates pointing to risks of financial instability, according to the OECD’s latest Interim Economic Assessment.

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.

Mr. Gurría presented the 2015 OECD Economic Survey of Japan, held several meetings including with the Prime Minister, took part in the launch event for the Education 2030 project and delivered a keynote speech at the International Symposium on Corporate Governance and Japan’s Growth Strategy.

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.

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.

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.

The Secretary-General met with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as well as several Ministers and high-level authorities of Japan. He spoke at a number of events and also presented the OECD Territorial Review of Japan and the publication Japan: Boosting Growth and Well-being in an Ageing Society.

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.

The Secretary-General presented OECD’s recent analysis and recommendations on the world economy, on more balanced and efficient financial markets for growth, and on progress on the international tax system. He also spoke at the G7 High-Level Symposium “Future of the Global Economy”, organised by the Japanese G7 Presidency.

The Secretary-General attended the G7 Leaders’ Summit and spoke at the outreach sessions “Stability and Prosperity in Asia” and “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals”.

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.

OECD Secretary-General was in Tokyo on 13-14 April 2017, on an official visit to Japan. During his visit, he presented the OECD Economic Survey of Japan 2017 and held hold bilateral meetings with several High Level Officials.

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.

The fourth annual edition of Revenue Statistics in Asian Countries covers seven countries, including Kazakhstan for the first time. It shows that the tax-to-GDP ratio in all these countries are lower than the OECD average of 34.3% in 2015, which highlights that scope remains for increasing tax mobilisation, especially in Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia and the Philippines to achieve sustainable growth.

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

Selected findings for Japan from the report "Preventing Ageing Unequally"

Key findings for Japan from the report "Pensions at a Glance 2017"

Mr. Angel Gurría, Secretary-General of the OECD, was in Tokyo on an official visit from 11 to 13 April 2018. He held bilateral meetings with Prime Minister Abe as well as with several Ministers and high level Japanese officials.

This note presents marginal effective tax rates (METRs) that summarise the tax system’s impact on the incentives to make an additional investment in a particular type of savings. By comparing METRs on different types of household savings, we can gain insights into which assets or savings types receive the most favourable treatment from the tax system.

壊れた社会的流動性エレベーター？ 社会的流動性を向上させるには 他国と比べて日本は?

A broken social elevator? Key findings for Japan

This country note for Japan provides detail on the proportion of CO2 emissions from energy use subject to different effective carbon rates (ECR), as well as on the level and components of average ECRs in each of the six economic sectors (road transport, off-road transport, industry, agriculture and fishing, residential & commercial, and electricity).

デジタル革命やグローバリゼーション、人口動態の変化によって、OECD 諸国や新興国の労働市場が変貌する一方、政策立案者は生産性及び賃金の成長鈍化や、高水準の所得格差といった問題に懸命に取り組んでいる。新たなOECD 雇用戦略は、これらの難問に対処する国々を支援するために包括的な枠組みと政策提言を提供する。

The digital revolution, globalisation and demographic changes are transforming labour markets at a time when policy makers are also struggling with slow productivity and wage growth and high levels of income inequality. The new OECD Jobs Strategy provides a comprehensive framework and policy recommendations to help countries address these challenges.

The Japanese standard VAT (CT) rate is 8.0%, which is below the OECD average. The average VAT/GST¹ standard rate in the OECD was 19.3% as of 1 January 2019. The previous standard VAT rate in Japan was 5% in 2013. It changed to the current level in 2014. Japan does not have any reduced rates.

Japan must improve job quality and further reform the mandatory retirement age to address upfront the challenges of its rapidly ageing and shrinking labour force, according to a new OECD report.

Mr. Angel Gurría, Secretary-General of the OECD, will be in Tokyo on 15-16 April 2019 on an Official visit to Japan, to present the OECD 2019 Economic Survey of Japan. During his visit, the Secretary-General will hold bilateral meetings with Prime Minister Abe, as well as several Ministers and other high-level Japanese officials.