Last year was a landmark year for Japan as the first year of the new era of Reiwa.

It was also a year in which Japan played host to many international events. There were a number of diplomatic events, including not only the G20 Osaka Summit in June but also ministerial meetings such as the G20 Tourism Ministers' Meeting in the town of Kutchan (Niseko) in Hokkaido and TICAD 7.

Japan also hosted the Rugby World Cup, the games of which helped to bridge different areas and cultures to embody the spirit of "One Team." We also had the enthronement ceremony of the Japanese emperor. It was a year in which Japan attracted a lot of international attention, as we welcomed many foreign visitors to our country and saw the "Japan brand" gain in value even more.

Meanwhile, Keidanren worked to promote private-sector diplomacy. And at the B20 Tokyo Summit that was held in March, and also at the B7 Summit in July at Aix-en-Provence, which I also attended, we made an appeal to the business communities in different countries to come together as one toward resolving the various issues that the world is facing.

As for this year, 2020, what should the Japanese business community strive to achieve?

In dealing with the problems within our borders, we need to forge a clear path toward achieving integrated reform for our country's economic growth, financial affairs, and social security.

And as we head toward Society 5.0, with IoT and AI becoming more widely used and increasingly advanced, we must face the question of what roles human beings should fulfill. We need to implement drastic educational reform that will enable us to nurture future workers who will be able to perform the kinds of work that can only be done by human beings and that cannot be left to technology.

The importance of Japan's role on the global stage is increasing, especially with respect to the carrying out of private-sector diplomacy.

What I've been thinking recently, in my role as the Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs at Keidanren, is that we should probably consider the various risk factors including geopolitical factors as having already become normalized (the new normal).

In this era in which the different issues in various areas—such as in the realms of politics, economics, trade, national security, and the environment—affect one another, what becomes key is to be able to think about all types of diplomatic issues in a comprehensive manner. At the same time, we must dismiss excessively optimistic and pessimistic views while observing world affairs in minute detail, and strive to be prepared at all times to take immediate steps should we be faced with major changes.