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On June 5, 2018, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a meeting of the Ministerial Council on the Management of Administrative Documents and Related Matters, at the Prime Minister’s Office.
 
The Prime Minister said in his opening address,
 
“It is a matter of utmost regret that the series of problems concerning government documents has shaken the public’s confidence in the Government. As the head of the Government, I would like to once again extend my deepest apologies to the people of Japan.
 
Public records are an intellectual resource that is shared among the people. We must start over from scratch and, with a sense of urgency, exert every effort to prevent the recurrence of these problems. Based on the results of this investigation, the Government will work as one to thoroughly implement the necessary reviews to ensure the proper management of the government documents, reflecting what we should reflect on, including what the root causes were.  
 
Public records are the most fundamental infrastructure for linking citizens with the Government, or the nexus of the two. Hence, it is important for all government staff to always bear in mind this point and the fact that they are on the frontlines of shaping Japan’s history, while fulfilling their accountability, as well as raise their mindfulness of compliance on the management of government documents and thoroughly maintain it.
 
I would like Minister of Public Records Management and National Archives Kajiyama and Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications Noda to exert every effort to implement and materialize as early as possible the promotion of effective measures that encourage reform of the mindset toward compliance on government documents, the improvement of electronic administrative document management in a more systematic and efficient manner, the review of the management of documents related to approvals and the accelerated migration to an electronic approval system.  
 
I want all Cabinet members to stand at the fore and take all possible measures to ensure the appropriate management of government documents.”