The Japanese-style medical system and digital technology to enable online education and telecommuting will be promoted as centerpieces of the government's new strategy to expand the export of infrastructure systems, it was learned Thursday. The aim is to meet growing demand for such infrastructure amid the global spread of the novel coronavirus,
The Infrastructure Strategy Economic Cooperation Meeting on Thursday evening, chaired by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, is set to finalize the direction of the new strategy for overseas expansion of infrastructure. The details of the new approach will be compiled this year.
The outline calls for strengthening the pharmaceutical and public health sectors, as the government "intensively promotes measures to tackle the coronavirus disaster with a sense of urgency."
In addition to investment in medical infrastructure, the government will actively pursue projects to help achieve a balance between the economy and the prevention of infection, such as telemedicine, online education and telecommuting.
The government also plans to build up supply chains to ensure stocks of masks, drugs and parts for industrial products remain intact.
It also plans to enhance exports of wind and solar power, as well as other forms of renewable energy, with the aim of achieving "overseas expansion of infrastructure with high environmental performance."
On exports of coal-fired power generation, which emits high levels of carbon dioxide, the government plans to tighten the conditions under which it will provide public assistance to contribute to the reduction of global greenhouse gas emissions.
The new strategy is meant for the government and the private sector to join forces with yen loans through official development assistance, private investment and other methods of financing.
The draft outline calls for Japanese companies to strengthen cooperation with their partners in Europe, the United States and other countries in which they operate amid intensifying competition with countries such as China, which touts its Belt and Road Initiative, and South Korea.
The current Infrastructure Systems Export Strategy was formulated in May 2013. The goal was to increase infrastructure orders from about 10 trillion yen in 2010 to 30 trillion yen in 2020. However, the figure in 2017 was 23 trillion yen, and the goal appears to be difficult to achieve.
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