Page 31 - Invited Paper Session (IPS) - Volume 2

IPS178 Kuniko M.
When the Bank considers changing survey items, it first provides users with
the revision plans in advance and collects opinions and comments through a
public consultation process. After taking into account these user comments,
the Bank modifies its revision plan where necessary to ensure that any revision
of the Tankan is appropriate. For example, in order to receive feedback
regarding its revision plan, the Bank published the Basic Policy (available only
in Japanese) in June 2016, which included the prospective expansion of the
survey item “Software, R&D, and fixed investment excluding land purchasing
expenses” to cover “R&D investment.” Through this public consultation
process, however, the Bank recognized that users called for the introduction
of an independent item, “R&D investment” and the continued publication of
the previous item “Software and fixed investment excluding land purchasing
expenses”, as it was.

[Table 4] Changes to survey items relating to the introduction of R&D
Originally proposed item
Previous Item Revised items
change
Software, R&D and fixed Software, R&D and fixed
- investment excluding investment excluding
land purchasing expenses land purchasing expenses
Software and fixed Software and fixed
investment excluding - investment excluding
land purchasing expenses land purchasing expenses
- - R&D investment

The Bank, therefore, published the final draft of the revision in December
2016, and explained its decisions regarding the survey items: (1) the expansion
of the survey item “Software, R&D, and fixed investment excluding land
purchasing expenses” as originally proposed; (2) the introduction of a new
item, “R&D investment”; and (3) the ongoing publication of the previous item
“Software and fixed investment excluding land purchasing expenses.”

3. The Bank’s contribution to the improvement of statistics from a user
perspective
This section explains the Bank’s contribution to improvements in statistics
from a user perspective. A synergy between statistics compilers and users is
touched upon, using the example of the revision of Tankan. Other examples
of the synergy between statistics compilers and users at the Research and
Statistics Department (RSD) — in developing economic indicators as an
analytical tool, which can be used to measure economic activity — are also
explained. Further, the Bank’s contribution to the government’s statistics
reform is presented.

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