Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended the third meeting in FY2014 of the Forum for Consultations between the National and Regional Governments at the Prime Minister's Office.

During the meeting, discussion took place on economic measures, formulating the FY2015 budget, regional fiscal measures, regional vitalization, and advancing decentralization reform.

The Prime Minister said in his opening address,

“This is the third Forum for Consultations between National and Regional Governments this fiscal year. I believe it will be important for national and regional governments to utilize this Forum and work together to address important policy issues while listening carefully to opinions from local communities.
Thus far also, the Abe Cabinet has been making an all-out effort on the most important challenges of overcoming deflation and achieving both economic revitalization and fiscal soundness via the national and regional governments. At the end of last year, we compiled “emergency economic measures for expanding the positive economic cycle to the regions” in order to spread the positive economic cycle throughout the country and strive to ramp up individual consumption and improve regional economies.
A Cabinet decision on the supplementary budget for supporting this is scheduled to be made promptly following this. The draft budget for the coming fiscal year will be decided next week. I intend to work together and respond with a sense of urgency.
At the same time, this year is the year in which initiatives for regional vitalization will get underway in earnest. We must make it that sort of year. At the end of last year, we established a long-term vision to continue supporting a population of 100 million people until 2060, and a comprehensive strategy compiling a slate of measures for government support of local communities. What is important is that regions consistently think, and take action and initiative for change themselves.
I hope that support provisions built into economic measures are utilized, and that regional versions of the comprehensive strategy overflowing with enthusiasm are promptly formulated. We will implement generous support for proactive initiatives, so I hope that all the heads will exhibit powerful leadership and use their wisdom to compete.
In addition, advancing decentralization reform is an extremely important theme in terms of regional vitalization. We are receiving a large number of diverse proposals from regions, and the government is taking them seriously and making adjustments to ensure that they are realized as much as possible. The government intends to promptly compile a response policy.
Today, I look forward to hearing the frank opinions of the regional governments on these themes. Results are what is needed, and I believe it will be important for the national and regional governments to work hard together to achieve them. We also intend to work solidly, and we hope that this Forum will be highly fruitful.”