On March 28, 2018, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a press occasion on the FY2018 budget at the Diet.
 
The Prime Minister said the following,
 
“The issue concerning the alteration of the documents by the Ministry of Finance has shaken the confidence of the public in the government, and I feel deeply responsible as the head of the government. Once again, I would like to express my apology to the people. We will conduct a thorough investigation, uncover the whole truth, and clean out the stables. Beyond that, we will rebuild our organization to ensure that such incidents do not happen again.
 
Until now, I have consistently advocated that the early passage of the budget for the coming fiscal year is itself the most important stimulus to the economy. In this year’s ‘spring offensive (spring wage negotiations),’ many companies raised their pay scales and many of them increased their wages more significantly compared with last year. Under such circumstances, we will swiftly execute this budget so that the warm winds of economic recovery can reach small businesses, small- and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), and each region.
 
I have also called this Diet the ‘Work Style Diet.’ I would like to make Japan a country that offers an ideal work environment for all the people, no matter what circumstances they face.
 
Moreover, this budget incorporates items to enrich nursing care and childcare services, as well as those to expand scholarship grants. Hence, we will surely work on enriching and expanding these services and programs.
 
Next month, I will visit the United States to hold a Japan-U.S. summit meeting. In May, I will also visit Russia and meet with President Putin, followed by the G7 summit meeting in June where I will meet with the leaders. As I carry out active diplomacy that takes a panoramic perspective of the world map, I will exert every effort towards resolving North Korea’s nuclear and missile issues, major issues for Japan, and above all, the abduction issue.”