～ Responding with development and expansion of products and services, but securing human resources becomes an obstructive factor ～ According to a demographic survey as of January 1, 2017, based on the basic resident register announced by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the total population of Japan is 125,583,658, a drop for the eighth straight year, and the pace of decline is the largest since the survey began in 1968. While the birthrate is declining,

- Continuous upswing thanks to a strong consumer durable goods market and despite the adverse impact of an exceptional rainy season on some industries - (Companies researched: 23,621 ; Valid responses: 10,265; Response rate: 43.5%; Survey start date: May 2002) <Trends as of August: Continuous recovery> Economic diffusion index (DI) in August 2017 was 47.7, up 0.1 from the previous month. This was the third consecutive month of recorded improvement. Some industries and areas