In a government document released today, Japan’s new Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae hopes to invest in 17 key areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), chips and shipbuilding to boost Japan’s world’s fourth largest economy.
AFP reported that the growth plan, scheduled to be finalized in 2026, is being prepared simultaneously with the new stimulus package. "Nihon Keizai Shimbun" reported that the stimulus package will be launched in late November and may exceed 10 trillion yen (approximately NT$2 trillion).
After being appointed as Japan's fifth prime minister in five years in October, Takaichi Sanae led the minority government and established the "Japan Growth Strategy Headquarters" and held its first meeting on the evening of the 10th. According to documents released later, other investment areas include defense, pharmaceuticals, critical minerals, aerospace and space, cybersecurity, quantum computing and nuclear fusion.
Takaichi Sanae said at a meeting attended by ministers and experts: "I ask the relevant ministers to work hard to obtain the necessary additional budget and implement tax measures for the listed contents." She said, "I also ask everyone to start feasible matters immediately, without waiting for these economic measures to be finalized before promoting them."
When Takaichi Sanae and U.S. President Trump met at the end of last month, the two sides agreed to promote cooperation in the shipbuilding field; Takaichi also emphasized that the chip industry is also crucial to economic security.
This stimulus package is one of many policies launched in recent years and is expected to include measures aimed at mitigating the impact of soaring prices on people's livelihoods. Public dissatisfaction caused by inflation was the main reason for the series of electoral defeats that led to the resignation of former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba after less than a year in office.