英語ニュース

英語ニュース

Premium Friday Campaign to Start in Late February消費促す「プレミアムフライデー」実施へ

人間・文化
Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has announced its Premium Friday campaign will start on February 24th. The initiative is designed to increase personal consumption.

During the campaign, the ministry is calling for companies to finish work early on the last Friday of each month. This is intended to create spare time employees can use for leisure. The ministry is also encouraging the retail, travel and service industries to launch special events. It is hoping to boost spending by creating opportunities for people to enjoy shopping, traveling and dining. If successful, the campaign could lead Japan out of its persistent deflation.

Unfortunately, many companies tend to be busy at the end of the month. Leaving the office early on Friday may simply create more overtime work on other days. Some people also question the campaign, saying spending will not increase without a pay rise.
日本の経済産業省は、「プレミアムフライデー」キャンペーンを2月24日から実施すると発表しました。この新たな取り組みは、個人消費の促進を目的としています。

同省は、キャンペーン期間中、毎月末の金曜日は早く仕事を切り上げるよう企業に呼び掛けます。これは、従業員が余暇に使える時間を作り出すことが目的です。また同省は、小売り、旅行、サービス業界などに対して、特別なイベントを立ち上げるよう推奨しています。人々が買い物や旅行や食事を楽しむ機会を作ることで消費の拡大を狙っています。うまくいけば、この取り組みが、長期化するデフレからの脱却につながる可能性もあります。

しかし、残念ながら、月末は忙しくなるという企業が数多くあります。金曜日に早く帰っても、他の日に残業を増やすだけになるかもしれません。給料が上がらなければ消費も増えないと、この取り組みを疑問視する声も上がっています。

Listening Quiz

1. Complete the sentence: The government will ( ) during the campaign.
  • agive office workers a special bonus for leisure activities
  • benforce a new leisure time law for company workers
  • cask companies to stop work early once a month
2. Which of the following is closest in meaning to “persistent” in paragraph two?
  • aunfortunate
  • blong standing
  • ccrippling
3. Which of the following ideas is implied by the information in the article?
  • aThe campaign does not take account of the monthly work cycle of many companies.
  • bWith many workers suffering salary cuts, few have money for extra leisure activities.
  • cGovernment offices are likely to be the only ones able to benefit from the campaign.
4. To be successful, the Premium Friday campaign will need to receive strong support from companies, their employees and the wider leisure and entertainment industry.
  • aTRUE
  • bFALSE
  • cN/A (not applicable)
トップへ