New Year's Thoughts from the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare

We would like to extend our best wishes for the New Year as we welcome the new year of Reiwa 7. We look forward to your continued support in the coming year.

It has been about three months since I assumed the position of Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare. During this time, I have endeavored to contribute to the stability of economic activity by taking every possible measure to ensure the safety and security of the people. I will continue to take the lead and work together with the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare to tackle various issues with all my might.

(Responding to disasters)

It has been one year since the Noto Peninsula earthquake occurred in January last year. We would like to express our condolences once again to those who lost their lives, including those affected by the heavy rains that followed, and our heartfelt sympathies to all those affected. We will continue to do our utmost to provide employment measures, watch over victims, and provide mental care so that all affected can return to a safe and secure life as soon as possible. In addition, with various disasters occurring all over the country in recent years, we will work to strengthen health, medical, and welfare systems and support so that we can protect the lives of the people from natural disasters.

(Wage adjustments in the medical and nursing care sector, etc.)

In response to the current issue of securing human resources, we will ensure that the measures taken in the FY2024 compensation revision to improve the treatment of staff in the medical, nursing care, and disability welfare fields are implemented, so that those working in the field can feel the effects, and we will provide support for further wage increases.

In addition, in the nursing care sector, we will strongly promote efforts to improve productivity by utilizing ICT and other technologies, in order to enhance the quality of services and the working environment, while also supporting efforts to ensure the provision of home nursing care services and to secure, develop, and retain nursing care personnel.

(Sustainable wage increases)

In order to achieve sustainable, structural wage increases, we will continue to advance the tripartite labor market reform, while at the same time making unremitting efforts toward the lofty goal of a national average minimum wage of 1,500 yen by the 2020s. To create an environment in which small and medium-sized enterprises can easily raise wages, we will work with relevant ministries and agencies to provide support for improving productivity and thoroughly implement measures to pass on price increases .