P.M. BRIEFING : Tokyo Boosts Global Economic Role

TOKYO — Japan should play a greater role in the international community by making use of its economic power and contribute more to resolving global problems, a government report said today.

The 627-page report released by the Economic Planning Agency said Japan, which has succeeded in weathering crises such as the negative impact of the yen’s sharp appreciation, should now adapt its economic structure to the globalization of its economy.

“Japan so far has devoted all its energy to strengthening its own economy but now it must realize its responsibility as a nation with great economic power in the world,” the report said.

“It is necessary for Japan to create a new economic framework by adapting its economic structure to the ongoing globalization of its economy.”

Noting that the living standards of the Japanese people are still low when compared with the nation’s wealth, the report stressed the need to promote investment in social capital such as housing and narrow disparities in prices of domestic and imported products “so as to enable the Japanese people to enjoy a level of affluence that would reflect the nation’s economic power.”