This document records the minutes of the Fiscal System Council's Fiscal Investment and Loan Program Subcommittee meeting held on July 31, Reiwa 7, detailing the deliberation content and committee members' opinions.
Meeting Overview and Agenda Items
The meeting was held from 13:59 to 16:09 in the Ministry of Finance's 3rd Special Conference Room and online, with 11 committee members including Yuri Okina, Takero Doi, and Kentaro Maruta in attendance. The main agenda item was the partial revision of the Reiwa 7 Fiscal Investment and Loan Fund Management Plan, which was approved as originally proposed. The agenda included reports on University Fund status, Reiwa 6 Fiscal Investment and Loan Fund management report, policy cost analysis, regional issue resolution support, and progress on large-scale projects by the Innovation Network Corporation of Japan.
Discussion on Medical Institution Financial Support
Regarding financial support for medical corporations by the Japan Organization for Health and Welfare, committee members evaluated the appropriateness of support, stating that "many medical corporations are experiencing deteriorating management, and even large-scale hospitals face cash flow difficulties that cannot be supported by private financial institutions alone." However, from the perspective of repayment certainty, there were calls for enhanced management guidance by the organization and promotion of transparency in medical institutions' management information using medical fee revenues as financial sources.
University Fund and Policy Cost Analysis
While the University Fund was evaluated as "operating smoothly," opinions were expressed calling for maintaining the purpose of concentrated support for internationally outstanding research universities and strategic resource allocation rather than indiscriminate distribution. In policy cost analysis, concerns were raised about execution rates remaining in the 50% range compared to pre-COVID levels, and recognition was shown regarding the importance of addressing cost increases as the era transitions to one with interest rates.
The article demonstrates that from the perspective of responding to changes in financial conditions and maximizing policy effectiveness in fiscal investment and loan system operations, the importance of operational improvements and strategic resource allocation for each organization was confirmed.