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On June 1, 2021, the Prime Minister attended the third chairpersons’ meeting of the Council for Promotion of Regulatory Reform at the Prime Minister’s Office.

At the meeting, the participants engaged in discussions on the report on the promotion of regulatory reform and efforts by the team directly reporting to Minister of State for Regulatory Reform/Minister in charge of Administrative Reform.

After receiving the report from Dr. KOBAYASHI Yoshimitsu, Chair of the Council, the Prime Minister said,
 
 “Today, we received the report on the promotion of regulatory reform and an explanation on the outcomes of efforts to date.
 
Firstly, we are conducting thorough reviews of the practices of requiring written forms, the application of physical seals, and face-to-face interactions to promote digitalization. We will make approximately 18,000 administrative procedures requiring written forms and others available online by 2025 and abolish the requirements to apply physical seals in over 99 percent of roughly 16,000 administrative procedures involving the application of such seals. At the same time, we will introduce online and cashless payments at the counter for various fees.
 
Secondly, we will promote regulatory reform in such sectors as transportation and agriculture to vitalize local economies. We will extend the period when private vehicles can be used for paid delivery services and other purposes, in response to growing demand for home delivery. Moreover, we will pave the way for flexible fundraising by agricultural ventures rooted in local communities.
 
Thirdly, comprehensive reviews of regulations on renewable energy were vigorously conducted, toward achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. We will significantly speed up the adoption of renewable energy by relaxing requirements for the installation of solar power generators in agricultural land, reviewing rules on the connection of solar, wind, and other power plants with power grids, among other measures.
 
We will steadily implement these regulatory reforms and get rid of the notorious habit of following past precedent and bureaucratic sectionalism, thereby opening up a path for future growth. The Government will immediately formulate a plan to implement regulatory reforms regarding matters covered in the report. I ask each minister to closely collaborate with each other and achieve reforms with a sense of speed, under the leadership of Minister Kono.
 
Lastly, I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to Chair Kobayashi, Acting Chair Takahashi, and other members of the Council for your vigorous discussions thus far. Thank you very much.”