[Provisional Translation]

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held the 24th meeting of the Council on National Strategic Special Zones at the Prime Minister's Office.

During the meeting, debate took place on certifying the special zone plan, additional items for regulatory reform related to priority fields and issues, and other matters. 

Based on the discussion, the Prime Minister said,

“The participants today include Mr. Mitsuhiro Kadowaki, Mayor of Semboku City in Akita Prefecture, and other enthusiastic members of municipalities and businesses. We have received proposals on important issues being addressed by the Council on National Strategic Special Zones; the acceptance of foreign personnel in agriculture, travel programs led by the region, the broadening of the eligible age for children to attend small-scale daycares, and other issues. 

These are all extremely important proposals for realizing vitalization of local economies and a society in which all citizens are dynamically engaged, both of which are being advanced by the Abe Cabinet.

We will accelerate discussions towards the realization of all these proposals. We will do so immediately for those that do not require legal revisions, while for those that do require legal revisions, I intend to submit bills to the next Diet session.

At the previous meeting of this Council, Ms. Yuriko Koike, Governor of Tokyo, put forward a proposal for a new framework to more strongly advance the Tokyo Special Zone.

Today we will launch the Tokyo Special Zone Advancement Joint Secretariat, which the Government and Tokyo will operate in collaboration. Furthermore, if municipalities that have produced results wish, I would like to launch similar frameworks for them.

By fully operating the Council on National Strategic Special Zones, and by unleashing the potential of regions throughout Japan by means of regulatory reform, I would like to catalyze the growth of the nation as a whole. Thank you.”