The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) will establish a new organization called the Basic Issue Subcommittee under the Consumer Policy Committee of the Industrial Structure Council, and will hold its meetings as shown below.

Recognizing that it is essential to review basic issues from the viewpoint of consumers in order to realize true growth of Japan, the Subcommittee will discuss how consumers would like corporations and industries to be, as well as related innovations. The Subcommittee is expected to compile a report summarizing the discussion results early in July.

The first meeting will be held on April 22 and the second on April 26.

1. Purpose of Establishment

(1) Background

Japan's growth strategies so far tended to be designed from the viewpoint of corporations, omitting consideration for consumers. Many strategies were product-oriented throughout. Such strategies obstruct Japan’s growth and, in addition, could cause serious problems in relation to assuring the happiness and profit of people living in Japan or consumers. Discussion by the Basic Issue Subcommittee will be based on the recognition that it is essential to review basic issues from the viewpoint of consumers in order to realize the true growth of Japan. The Subcommittee will re-examine how consumers would like corporations and industries to be so that this can be reflected by the supply side. Subcommittee members are further expected to review the related policy systems of METI from the same viewpoint and to present specific directions.

(2) Contents

The Subcommittee is expected to discuss the following topics:
(a) Presupposition
- Analysis of recent consumers' preferences and trends
(b) Actions to be taken by corporations
- Business style that is not a simple price competition based on changes in consumers’ propensity to spend
- Product development to satisfy potential demand among consumers
- Differentiation strategy by providing services for the convenience of consumers
- How to make use of complaints and evaluations from consumers in doing business; relief and safety and corporate strategies
- Change of business model to online shopping and other future possibilities
(c) Actions to be taken by corporations and the government in mutual cooperation
- Product development that evaluates risks in advance by assuming how consumers will use the product in the development phase
- Tracing system after recall so as to improve the efficiency of product recall
- Enhancement of safety measures for more use of cashless settlement
- Actions to be taken for improved convenience of shopping in local areas
- Rationalization of distribution cost for provision of goods at low prices to consumers
(d) Actions to be taken by the government
- Evolution of statutory safety regulations system for products to be used in consumers’ daily lives in the future
- Examination of compact city realization for improved convenience for people living in local cities, taking the aging society into account

(3) Committee members

Unlike the style by which committee members have traditionally been selected in the past, the members of this committee are selected based on their knowledge, and come from a wide range of fields and generations. In particular, considering that the percentage of female members of such committees is generally low in Japan, the female: male ratio has been sunstantially increased in the Basic Issue Subcommittee under the Consumer Policy Committee of the Industrial Structure Council. In this subcommittee, the majority of members are female.
Specifically, members include experts in consumer trends from, among: scholars of marketing and consumption, consumer organization representatives, and business management executives, as well as those who have successfully developed products worthy of special attention, businesspeople from word-of-mouth websites and online shopping companies, city planning professionals, and so on.

2. Schedule (planned)

The first and the second meetings will be held as follows. After that, the Subcommittee will meet once or twice a month until the beginning of July, when a report summarizing the discussion results will be compiled.

First meeting schedule
Date: Thursday, April 22, from 18:15
Place: Conference Room No. 1014, METI Annex Building, 10F
Agenda:1. Opening
2. Proceedings
Free discussion

Second meeting schedule
Date: Monday, April 26, from 8:00
Place: Conference room West 8, METI main building 2F
Agenda: 1. Opening
2. Proceedings
Free discussion

Release Date

April 21, 2010

Division in Charge

Consumer Affairs Policy Division, Commerce and Distribution Policy Group

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