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On December 25, 2018, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held the 12th meeting of the Headquarters for Promoting Decentralization Reform at the Prime Minister’s Office.
 
During the meeting, discussion took place on the measures to address the proposals received from the regions in 2018 and other matters.
 
Based on the discussion, the Prime Minister said,
 
 “Japan will not have vitality unless its regions do as well. The Abe Cabinet is powerfully promoting a series of decentralization reforms for the regions based on their own initiatives. The measures approved in this headquarters last year, which enable effective and faster issuance of Disaster Victim Certificates, swiftly demonstrated its significant benefit in responding to the natural disasters that occurred one after another throughout the summer this year.
 
This year, as the previous year, we have responded to 90% of the proposals submitted to us, including support for children and child raising, and investment for regional revitalization, as a result of our detailed considerations with our fundamental position of listening thoroughly to the voices of the regions.
 
For example, we allowed municipalities to operate after-school clubs under their own responsibility reflecting the actual conditions in the designated areas, making the set of regulations that clubs need to follow more flexible, so as to smoothly secure places where children can be engaged after school.
 
Furthermore, as overseas tourists continue to increase throughout Japan, we will conduct reviews regarding museums, which were previously under the sole authority of the designated Boards of Education, so that these facilities can be proactively utilized as tourism resources by the decision of respective municipalities.
 
I ask all the ministers to exercise strong leadership based on the guidelines determined today and steadily realize each of the measures.”