Although Japan needs to get its fiscal house in order, it should also focus on boosting economic growth by fostering new markets and cutting red tape, top government officials and economists said at an economic forum in Tokyo on Monday.

"The Japanese economy still has a lot of potential, so it is a matter of course that we (should) aim for economic growth," said Senior Vice Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda at the government's Ninth Business Round Table.

That growth should be sustainable and balance foreign and domestic demand, Noda said during a panel discussion, adding that the government will put together a midterm plan for fiscal reconstruction and economic growth by spring.