Admitting that the Japanese economy is struggling to find a way out of the recession, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi made clear Friday that reviving the economy will be his top priority for this year, declaring he will take "all available policy measures" to fight deflation.
In his annual policy speech before both houses of the Diet, Koizumi only briefly touched on foreign policy at a time when Iraq and North Korea are attracting the world's attention.
The speech was widely perceived as lacking freshness as his remarks on the state of the economy were identical to pronouncements he has made repeatedly since last year.