Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held the second meeting of the Headquarters for Healthcare and Medical Strategy Promotion at the Prime Minister's Office.
During the meeting, budget requests related to R&D in the medical field for FY2014 were decided.
The Prime Minister said in his opening address,

"As an important pillar of the growth strategy, concrete advances must be made in the development of leading-edge medical technologies, including regenerative medicine, for the realization of a society of good health and longevity. For this, it is imperative that the budget is requested, distributed, and adjusted in an integrated manner and that themes which cut across ministries and agencies are implemented in a coordinated manner, so that under the leadership of the Cabinet, R&D in the medical field does not become trapped in the vertically segmented bureaucracy of ministries and agencies. 
Today, I hope we can decide on the related budget requests for the next fiscal year. The budget requests will be compiled by the Headquarters for Healthcare and Medical Strategy Promotion as the control tower for the first time. Moving forward, we will finalize a solid budget by the end of this year and aim to establish a comprehensive strategy by the beginning of next year.
In order to fully execute the growth strategy aimed at revitalizing the economy, I ask that ministers work in concert toward the promotion of R&D in the medical field."