New Economic Revitalization Minister Ryosei Akazawa said he is eager to step up efforts to convert Japan into a growth-oriented economy and fully eliminate deflation.

In a recent interview with media outlets, he also underlined his resolve to attain the government’s target of raising the weighted average of minimum wages across the country to ¥1,500 per hour in the 2020s.

In the administration of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, launched Oct. 1, Akazawa also serves as economic and fiscal policy minister and minister in charge of preparations to establish a disaster management agency.