[Provisional Translation]

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hosted the first “Meeting with the Prime Minister and Workers to Exchange Views on Work Style Reform,” at the Prime Minister's Office.

The Prime Minister said in his address,

“I want to express my gratitude to all of you for making the time to meet here today despite your extremely busy schedules.

I believe that work style reform is key to the efforts we are currently advancing for the realization of a society in which all citizens are dynamically engaged.

First, there was recently a case in which an employee at Dentsu lost her precious life due to working too long hours. I believe that this kind of situation must never happen again. I want to thoroughly promote work style reform from the perspective of workers.

I want to create a society in which people can create futures for themselves through a variety of work styles. To that end, I hope to thoroughly promote the reform of systems in our efforts for work style reform and the correction of excessive working practices. We will make diverse work styles possible. I intend to submit the legislation needed to enable that to the Diet. To accomplish this, we have created the Council for the Realization of Work Style Reform. Today, I hope to have a discussion with all of you, who have actually undertaken a variety of working styles, about your actual experiences, and taking your stories into account, while having a discussion on this matter that is grounded in reality, I want to realize work style reform.

I request that you all frankly share your views with us today.”