Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda attended the 13th meeting of the Reconstruction Design Council in Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake that was held.

Discussion took place on the current state of restoration and reconstruction initiatives and the status of the reconstruction efforts in the disaster-affected regions, among other matters.

The Prime Minister said in his opening address, "Thanks to the very intense discussions among all members of the Reconstruction Design Council, a proposal that is worthy to be remembered for ages to come was compiled in June. Based on this proposal, the Government compiled the Basic Policy on Reconstruction in July.
In accordance with this Basic Policy, the draft third supplementary budget and related bills were submitted to the Diet. They are aimed at materializing the ideas presented in the proposal, including relevant legislation, special zones for reconstruction, and grants that can be easily accessed. The Government intends to make utmost efforts to see to it that the budget and related bills are passed at the earliest possible date, and as pointed out by the Chair, that the reconstruction work is undertaken quickly and accelerated.
Reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake is the greatest and highest priority of my Cabinet. The budget will support the implementation of programs. Moving forward, the Government will continue to make whole-hearted efforts to take steps toward reconstruction from the disaster."