Statistical Survey News (Public Relations Paper Published by Statistics Bureau) July 2025 Issue - Strengthening Cooperation with Medical Institutions Using Emergency Statistics Data / Toward Smooth Implementation of the 2025 National Census (Part 9)

Statistics Bureau of Japan's latest announcement reveals that Sendai City Fire Department received the Statistics Bureau Director's Award at the 9th Local Government Statistical Data Utilization Awards for strengthening cooperation with medical institutions through emergency statistics data utilization. This marks the first award for a fire department. Triggered by emergency medical system strain during COVID-19, the initiative achieved mutual understanding and enhanced cooperation between fire departments and medical institutions through sharing emergency statistics data and evidence-based discussions. Specifically, they monitor acceptance rates (emergency team accommodation request acceptance rates) by medical institution weekly, utilizing this for early detection of emergency medical strain and issue verification. For the 2025 Population Census, alongside Ken Matsudaira, Haruna Kawaguchi, Miki Fujimoto, and Patrick Harlan have been appointed as promotional characters to encourage internet responses. The implementation plan for the 2026 Economic Census for Business Activity was also announced, with the survey covering all industrial sectors' economic activities scheduled for June next year. Furthermore, 2024 service industry sales reached 34.2 trillion yen, up 2.9% year-on-year, exceeding pre-COVID levels. Accommodation and food service activities increased 4.7%, while living-related and personal services and amusement activities rose 4.1%, showing strong performance. The proportion of households using online shopping reached a record high of 55.3%, with average monthly electronic money usage also hitting a record 31,997 yen. Shizuki Yanagita, a second-year student at Hiroshima Prefectural Kure Commercial High School, won the special award for Statistics Day slogan with "Statistics to 'Search' the Present and 'Sense' the Future." These statistical data are widely utilized as fundamental materials for policy planning and economic analysis.