Japan PM vows to set up special zones to boost foreign investment

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged Thursday to set up special economic zones to boost foreign investment in Japan, as domestic demand in the world’s third-biggest economy has stagnated amid a declining population.

“I would urge you to evaluate what we are doing in my country, look at the underlying strength of our economy and our plans for the future and then invest in Japan,” Kishida said at the Economic Club of New York, a group of top business executives and bankers.

Kishida’s government is likely to map out a policy package by the end of this year to revise laws to relax regulations on f...