Relevant Cabinet ministers on June 22 adopted an action plan to support women who try to find employment or start businesses. The government plans to incorporate it into the "Japan resuscitation strategy" this summer.
As the ministers pointed out, women are the greatest under-utilized resource that Japan possesses. According to an estimate presented at the APEC Women and the Economy Summit held in September 2011 in San Francisco, reducing the barrier to women's entry into the labor market would increase Japan's gross domestic product by as much as 16 percent while the corresponding figure for the United States is 9 percent.
It is hoped that the government will prepare a detailed road map that will contain effective programs to help change the mindset of men and enterprises, and increase women's participation in social and economic activities.