Yuji Iida, Vice-Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry

Putting the future of the country and its people first. What is the future of Japan as envisioned by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry?

Vice-Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry　Yuji Iida　(Yuji Iida)

■ Profile
After graduating from the Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics, University of Tokyo, he joined the Ministry of International Trade and Industry in April 1988.
July 2014: Director-General of the Secretariat, Minister's Secretariat; July 2017: Deputy Director-General of the Regional Economic and Industrial Policy Group, Minister's Secretariat; July 2018: Director-General of the Industrial Science and Technology Policy and Environment Bureau; July 2020: Deputy Director-General of the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy; July 2021: Director-General of the Minister's Secretariat; July 2022: Director-General of the Economic and Industrial Policy Bureau (concurrently Director-General of the Cabinet Secretariat GX Promotion Office)
From July 2023, Vice Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (concurrently Director General of the Cabinet Secretariat GX Implementation Promotion Office)

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) is a government agency that looks to Japan's future and formulates policies that will lead to concrete results. With an eye on the global situation, the ministry works hard every day to resolve issues facing Japan and create a prosperous and comfortable country for its citizens. We spoke with Yuji Iida, Administrative Vice-Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, about what motivated him to pursue a career as a bureaucrat, and the beliefs and vision he has cultivated through his experience working to resolve social issues.

I joined the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) because I wanted to pursue a career where I could find meaning and value in the work I was doing. During my first and second years of university, I wasn't particularly focused on finding a job, and I wasn't particularly clear about what I wanted to do. When it came time to start job hunting, I wanted to choose a job that would take up the vast majority of my time, one that I could find "value, meaning, and fulfillment in," one that I would "willingly put my all into to produce results," rather than a "means of earning an income" that I "wanted to complete as quickly as possible." I thought I could be useful to the country and its people, so I aimed for a path to becoming a national civil servant. The deciding factor in choosing METI from among the many government ministries and agencies was that, through the senior staff I met, I felt I had a clearer understanding of the ministry's approach to the challenges it faces and its organizational structure. I decided on the "people."
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) is responsible for a wide range of tasks, from steel, automobiles, and distribution to energy, trade, small and medium-sized enterprises, and intellectual property. Working across a wide range of fields, formulating policies while balancing the interests of each is a microcosm of society. One particularly memorable experience after joining the ministry was when I was assigned to the Agriculture and Fisheries Division. There, I was responsible for trade-related matters, such as the Washington Convention, which protects wildlife. While the work handled by the Agriculture and Fisheries Division may not be considered a high priority within the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the work I do there has become increasingly interesting, meaningful, and rewarding. Through these experiences, I realized the importance of thinking and making decisions from a broad perspective, and that every job has meaning, and that how you approach it is up to you.

■Becoming Vice Minister was a result of a series of "problem-solving" efforts

In a nutshell, the job of the Administrative Vice Minister is to support the Minister, take a bird's-eye view of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry as a whole, design and manage the organization, lead important policies, and produce results. METI has a wide variety of departments for each project, and I supervise them to ensure smooth collaboration between them, organize the organization's internal structure, and sometimes coordinate with other ministries and agencies.
I currently hold the position of Administrative Vice-Minister, and I believe that I have reached this point through the accumulation of my daily work. When I was younger, I wondered, "What kind of person is competent and reliable?" and "I want to be that kind of person." When I joined the Ministry, many of my seniors told me, "It is essential to master the fundamentals of the job within five years of joining." However, at first, I didn't really understand what that meant, and I searched for the meaning of those words in my own way. As I gained experience, I began to realize that the answer was "find and solve problems." Identify important issues without being bound by precedent, consider ways to solve them, collaborate, cooperate, and coordinate with the relevant parties, and then actually solve them. I believe that my current position is the result of repeating this process.

■ What is the "new economic and industrial policy initiative" that will mark a turning point for the Japanese economy?

After I joined the Ministry, the bubble burst, and subsequent industrial policy focused on regulatory and institutional reform, and I personally led the effort. This policy was initiated in the wake of the collapse of the bubble as Japan joined the ranks of developed countries, with the aim of reforming regulations and systems that hindered the ingenuity of private companies in order to create businesses that would drive the Japanese economy. We listened to requests from companies for relaxation of regulations and systems that were impeding new businesses, and established a system in which we determined whether the government could address those requests or whether it was difficult, and if so, made the reasons public. We also created a multi-year plan and revised it annually. I believe that these policies, at the time, were extremely meaningful for the Japanese economy going forward.
However, economic conditions change and change quickly, so policies must be able to adapt quickly to keep up.
Currently, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) is making a major shift away from neoliberal policies centered on regulatory and institutional reform, and is working across the entire ministry to implement a "New Principles for Economic and Industrial Policy." This "New Principles for Economic and Industrial Policy" calls for both the public and private sectors to step forward and, where necessary, the government to take risks and mobilize all policies, including large-scale, long-term, and planned support, to connect the resolution of socioeconomic issues such as climate change, resource circulation, economic security, health, and digitalization to economic growth. Countries around the world, including Europe and the United States, which once criticized such policies, are now embracing them, creating a climate of international policy competition. These policies are necessary to achieve a virtuous economic cycle that involves expanding domestic investment, creating new businesses through innovation, revitalizing local areas, improving national income, and expanding domestic demand. Japan is currently experiencing its first expansion in domestic investment in 30 years, with wage increases and a positive "turning of the tide." We believe we are at a crossroads: whether this trend will continue or whether we will revert to the deflationary economy of the past. We will not cut corners here, but will continue to implement policies in a continuous and powerful manner, so that we can achieve economic growth and a prosperous Japan, even as the population declines and the aging of society progresses.We have also formulated an "Industrial Structure for 2040 Led by Growth Investment" for 2040.
The job of a national civil servant is to work "for others" and produce results. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) was the first among ministries to introduce personnel evaluation, incorporating the concept of competency. This concept focuses on problem-solving ability rather than academic background, knowledge, or motivation. It objectively analyzes and evaluates the specific role an employee played in solving problems. While many people tend to think of personal growth as simply acquiring knowledge and skills, this approach instead evaluates whether an employee can use that knowledge and skills to specifically solve problems. To improve Japan as a national civil servant, we need many people with these capabilities, and I hope to work with such people. I have worked in human resources at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry for many years, and I believe that each individual has tremendous potential. I believe that the timing at which that potential is realized varies from person to person. Some people realize their potential during their student years, while others blossom as they work. The important thing is to first be able to tackle problems on your own and see them through, regardless of the job. Furthermore, in order to see a job through to completion, you need to understand its significance, so think carefully about why you are doing the job. Think about the significance of the job rather than its importance or size. I would like people who want to contribute to their country and people, who want to produce results, who have the will to improve their problem-solving skills, and who have the desire to grow, to try working as a national civil servant or at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

■Message to university students

I would like university students to be aware of the world and look at it from a global perspective. When thinking about Japan, there is much to learn from other countries, such as their situations, what they are doing, and the differences between Japan and them, and I think this is extremely important. They are also competitors.
I also hope that you will find something that you can devote yourself to. It could be a part-time job, a club, or some other activity. In doing so, you will likely face a variety of challenges, so I hope that you will not run away from them, but rather get the experience of taking the lead in solving problems yourself.
I also want you to think seriously about who you are and what you want to do. Please think about this seriously while you are a student.

Interviewed by Student Newspaper Online on April 30, 2025 by Mayuka Kato, a first-year student at Chuo University

Masamasa Hattori, 3rd year at N High School / Mayuka Kato, 1st year at Chuo University / Rinno Koshiyama, 3rd year at Toyo University /
Yurie Watanabe, second-year student at Josai International University / Ayami Matsuyama, first-year student at Aoyama Gakuin University