[Provisional Translation]

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held the seventh meeting of the Council on Overcoming Population Decline and Vitalizing Local Economy in Japan at the Prime Minister's Office.

During the meeting, opinions were exchanged toward the revision of the comprehensive strategy for overcoming population decline and vitalizing local economy.

The Prime Minister stated the following in his opening remarks,

“Good morning, everyone. Aiming for regional vitalization means increasing productivity, as well as realizing stable employment and wages in the regions. To that end, we will stimulate and refine regional resources, call for new investments from within Japan and abroad, and produce a plus-sum positive economic cycle.

As we start to set the regional versions of the comprehensive strategy from each municipality, we are entering a new stage of the initiatives for regional vitalization, moving from planning to execution, from broad discussions to specific discussions. For the strong promotion of this execution stage, I would like to seek the direct opinions of people from the business world in each region, who will be the main actors for these strategies.

I want to establish a new “Regional Jobs Vitalization Council ” under the Council on Overcoming Population Decline and Vitalizing Local Economy in Japan, and I hope to compile specific issues and directions for this council shortly.

I request that everyone fully mobilize and work toward the realization of policies related to such matters as budgets, tax systems, and the easing of regulations, addressing these points in the order in which they are ready. Thank you very much.”