Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held the 13th meeting of the Headquarters on Creating Dynamism through Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery Industries and Local Communities at the Prime Minister's Office.

During the meeting, the draft revision to the ‘plan to create vitality for the industry and regional communities’ was discussed.

Based on the discussion, the Prime Minister said in his address,

“The Abe administration is determined to establish ‘strong agriculture, forestry, and fishery industries,’ and ‘beautiful and vibrant rural areas,’ and has therefore moved forward with reform of agricultural policies.

In order to carry out further reform, today we have revised the ‘plan to create vitality for the industry and regional communities,’ which is the Abe administration’s grand design for reform of agricultural policies.

We must transform agriculture into a competitive industry and a new growth industry that can drive regional economies. It is important that we further increase added value, expand the markets, and create an environment in which ambitious business-minded farmers are better able to demonstrate their abilities.

For this purpose, three sets of reforms will be pursued collectively for the fundamental review of agricultural commissions, agricultural production corporations, and agricultural cooperatives.

With regard to agricultural cooperatives in particular, this will be the first fundamental reform in 60 years. With these reforms the Central Union of Agricultural Cooperatives will make a fresh start, and the current Central Union system, which is based on the Agricultural Cooperatives Act, will cease to exist.

Our efforts must not end up being reform in name alone.

The system of agricultural cooperatives will enable local cooperatives to become central players, demonstrate their respective distinctiveness, and give their all for turning agriculture into a growth industry.

The Government will play a central role in these reforms, and we will proceed swiftly with concrete discussions and submit bills at the next regular session of the Diet.

I would like to request the continued cooperation of the relevant Cabinet ministers to make it possible for the Abe Cabinet to carry out the agricultural policy reforms with a sense of speed.”