[Provisional Translation]

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held the 14th meeting in 2015 of the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy at the Prime Minister's Office.

At the meeting, debate took place on “the FY2016 guidelines for budget requests,” “the health promotion and preventive care services platform,” and the “minimum wage.”

Based on the discussion, the Prime Minister said,

“Today, we reached an agreement on the guidelines for budget requests based on our overall approach to the FY2016 budget. I would like to express my appreciation for the hard work of Minister Amari, Minister Aso, and all council members.

In order to create a budget for FY2016 that is befitting of the first fiscal year of comprehensive economic and fiscal reform, the entire government must collectively work to prioritize highly effective policies based on the guidelines for budget requests, as well as to promote institutional reform that results in reduced expenditures, including industrializing public services, reforming incentives, and fostering public services innovation. I would like to ask each ministry and agency to compete with each other in creating new ideas.

It will be critical to share best practices concerning health promotion and preventive care services nationwide.

Using the platform which Minister Amari reported on, and with the cooperation of Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare Shiozaki and the other ministers concerned, I would like to ask for its proactive roll out. I would also like the Economic and Fiscal Reform Promotion Committee to swiftly crystallize the Plan for Economic and Fiscal Revitalization with the participation of private sector committee members.

Wage increases are of vital importance in order to continue this positive economic cycle for a second and third rotation, and this year’s spring wage offensive saw the highest raise in 17 years. Currently, the minimum wage is being discussed by the Council. The government will commit all of its efforts to improving the environment for SME and small business owners, and raising the productivity of the service industry, so that the minimum wage can be increased by a significant margin. I would like to ask all relevant ministers to firmly work toward increasing the minimum wage.”