Slovenia has similar challenges to Japan in terms of huge government debts and an aging population, and both countries can learn from each other, Slovenian Finance Minister Andrej Bertoncelj said this week in Tokyo.
In an interview with The Japan Times on Wednesday, Bertoncelj, who also serves as the country's deputy prime minister, said his country has cut its public debt, which stood at 82.6 percent of gross domestic product in 2015, by 12.5 percentage points between 2015 and 2018 — the fastest reduction among all the members of the euro area.
Of 28 European Union countries, 19 have adopted the euro as their currency. European Union rules require its members to keep their public debt in relation to GDP below 60 percent.