• 
• 

 
On November 21, 2018, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held the 16th meeting of the Council on Overcoming Population Decline and Vitalizing Local Economy in Japan at the Prime Minister’s Office.
 
At the meeting, discussions were held on the revision of the comprehensive strategy for overcoming population decline and vitalizing local economy, and on best practices in regional revitalization. 
 
Based on the discussion, the Prime Minister said,
 
“Today, we heard from Ms. Ogata, Mr. Hotta, and Mr. Saito, who work hard on the frontlines in local communities.
 
After listening to the three speakers today, I felt the significant differences between those who feel that it is in their communities that opportunities can be found, those who feel that there are no opportunities in their communities, those who feel that they can seize the opportunities in their communities themselves, and those who feel that they cannot do so.  
 
It is in the regions that opportunities can be found. The combination of those who think this way and migrate to respective regions from outside, bringing new ideas with them, and those who know the local communities very well, will set off chemical reactions that generate new dynamism in the regions and potential for future growth. That is what I felt anew today.
 
In the Basic Policy for Overcoming Population Decline and Vitalizing Local Economy 2018 formulated in June, we adopted a policy package aimed at providing strong supports to start businesses or work through U-turns (from their hometown in a local district to a city and back), I-turns (from their hometown in a local district to a different local district) and J-turns (from their hometown in a local district to a nearby city) as well as offering opportunities for motivated women, elderly persons, and people from abroad to fully utilize their capabilities. In order to create a steady flow of people to each region, we plan to launch a new scheme from the next fiscal year.
 
With regard to discussions over community building including urban development in central and core cities, I would also like the Council to conduct a thorough review on concrete measures for resolving various issues.
 
Towards the revision of the comprehensive strategy at the end of this year, I ask all the ministries to work together as one to advance reviews under the leadership of Minister Katayama.”