[Provisional Translation]

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended the 85th General Meeting of the Japan Association of City Mayors held in Tokyo.

The Prime Minister said in his address,

“I would like to express my sincere respect to all of the city mayors for making arduous efforts every day at the front lines of local government to develop your communities and improve the welfare of the residents.

This year marks the starting point for regional vitalization. Ever since I became Prime Minister, I have visited regions across the country on countless occasions, and have been privileged to see firsthand deeply determined people bringing out the full potential of a wide range of previously dormant regional resources and possibilities. It is truly the case that, “The best lessons are learned from the front lines.” The Government offers its full support to highly motivated and creative regional initiatives. In order to accelerate such initiatives, we will soon compile the ‘Basic Policy for Overcoming Population Decline and Vitalizing Local Economy 2015.’ In addition to establishing a virtuous cycle in which jobs attract people and people attract jobs, thus creating a flow of people to the regions, we will also make it possible for people to live in the regions, and ensure that living in the regions will provide people with more fulfilling lives. We will exert all our efforts to build unique and highly appealing regional communities such that residents feel genuinely glad to be living in their particular region.

Last fiscal year, we received many concrete proposals from the regions for resolving regional issues. We have completed 80% of the main proposals, such as those in regard to regional vitalization. In particular, we have realized the transfer to local public bodies of the authority to approve the diversion of agricultural land, which the six regional organizations were strongly hoping to achieve. If we work together we can do anything. The determination of the regions has achieved breakthroughs in issues that had remained unresolved for many years, and has opened up a new chapter in decentralization reform. This is the nature of the Abe Cabinet’s decentralization reform. We will continue to implement powerful reforms.               
The ‘three arrows’ of Abenomics are showing definite results. The regional tax revenue in this fiscal year’s regional fiscal measures plan has gone up by 2.5 trillion yen compared to the previous fiscal year, a 7% increase. In particular, revenues from corporate municipal tax and corporate business tax are expected to increase by double figures in 33 prefectures. It is the very regions themselves that are the drivers of growth. We will implement strong economic measures to improve local economies, and powerfully advance economic revitalization from the regions.
I hope you will all continue to take the lead in your communities and exert your abilities to the fullest, while always engaging the local people and incorporating their diverse opinions. I would also like to ask for your cooperation for the policies that the Government is promoting. Thank you.”