The internal affairs ministry on Feb. 1 released statistics with a symbolic meaning for the Japanese economy. The ministry's labor force survey showed that the number of people working in the manufacturing industry in December 2012 dipped below 10 million for the first time since June 1961. This represents a reduction of some 40 percent from the peak of 16.03 million in October 1992. These statistics underline the structural difficulties Japan's manufacturing firms are facing.

The government needs to push policies to strengthen employment bases for such industries as medical and nursing care services, child-rearing support, green energy-related business, agriculture, fisheries and forestry while encouraging manufacturers to produce attractive and competitive products.

In December 2012, 10.35 million people were working for the wholesale and retail industries followed by 9.98 million for the manufacturing industry and 7.23 million in medical and nursing care services. There were 4.9 million workers in the construction industry, 3.86 million in hospitality services and 1.91 million in information and communication technology.