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On December 17, 2018, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held the 37th meeting of the Council on National Strategic Special Zones at the Prime Minister's Office.
 
At the meeting, a discussion was held on the certification of special zone plans, the Super City Initiative, and additional regulatory reform items that should be prioritized, among other matters.
 
Based on the discussion, the Prime Minister said,
 
 “Around the world, cutting-edge urban planning, which utilize AI and big data, is rapidly transitioning from the experimentation stage to the practical use stage.
 
We must swiftly materialize a Super City that proactively implements these pioneering innovations in various aspects of urban life in Japan too.
 
Please immediately advance consideration over technologies and services that a Super City should implement, with the relevant ministries putting heads together. At the same time, we also need creative rules that could actively encourage innovation. I would also ask you to thoroughly work on preparing institutional arrangements in order to eliminate any governance gaps, using the National Strategic Special Zones scheme.
 
Today we identified the priority items that we will work towards in the materialization of National Strategic Special Zones.
 
Improving education; realizing health care that is available any time, any place; and developing a cashless society are all among the important areas that are integral parts of Japan’s growth strategy.
 
The National Strategic Special Zones scheme remains the way to reform bedrock regulations, and I ask all the relevant ministers to work on this in unity.”