Monday, October 6, 2008

The Prime Minister Attends a Meeting of the Budget Committee of the House of Representatives

Prime Minister Taro Aso attended a meeting of the Budget Committee of the House of Representatives and answered basic questions from the Committee members on the proposed FY2008 supplementary budget.

At the Committee, a question was posed on the meaning of "steady economic growth," outlined in the Prime Minister's policy speech, to which the Prime Minister answered, "We could at least say that Japan's business environment has hitherto depended on exports to a very large degree. Overseas demand, however, started to wobble at the end of last year. Given our country's enormous debt, it goes without saying that we should eliminate wasteful spending. At the same time, I believe public finances cannot be rebuilt without some economic growth. Therefore, I think we must first revive business activity, on which basis we should proceed head-on with fiscal reconstruction."