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[Provisional Translation]

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended the Meeting of the Government and Ruling Parties at the Prime Minister's Office.

During the meeting, there was a discussion on the FY2016 budget.

Based on the discussion, the Prime Minister said,

“The Abe administration has set the realization of creating a society in which all one hundred million-plus citizens are each dynamically engaged as a major goal of the second stage of Abenomics.

We will make this budget one that directly tackles the issues of the decline in the birthrate and the aging of the population, and also develops true regional vitalization.

In addition, the Ise-Shima Summit will be held in May. With a fully sufficient diplomacy budget, I will advance diplomacy that takes a panoramic perspective of the world map.

At the same time, as the budget of the first year of the Plan for Economic and Fiscal Revitalization, we are keeping the real increase in general expenditure at 530 billion yen, and thoroughly realizing the Plan.

Following on from the supplementary budget, I realize that you had to make the adjustments in a short time, and I thank everyone in the ruling parties for all for your efforts.

The Abe administration will exert all its efforts toward achieving both economic revitalization and fiscal soundness.

Compared to before the change in administration, tax revenues have now increased by 15 trillion yen, while the amount of government bonds issued has decreased by 10 trillion yen. The combination of national and regional tax revenues has increased by 21 trillion yen.

The results are clear. I would like to continue to follow this path with confidence with all of you.

In the Diet of the new year, along with the supplementary budget, I would like to have this budget approved as quickly as possible, and to send to all citizens a sense of the economic recovery and new hope toward creating a society in which all one hundred million-plus citizens are each dynamically engaged.
I request the continued cooperation of everyone in the ruling parties. Thank you.”