Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy

Prime Minister Taro Aso held a meeting of the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy at the Prime Minister's Office.

At the meeting, the second of three sessions of intensive discussion about an economic growth strategy, the Council members discussed agriculture and tourism.

Proposals made during the discussion on agriculture, which was joined by Mr. Shigeru Ishiba, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, include those on efforts to resolve the issue of arable land no longer under cultivation, and creation of new industry through the integration of biotechnology and systems such as "green factories."

Prime Minister Aso gave instructions, saying, "The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries proposed future-oriented projects that are aimed at regional revitalization. The content of a plan to revitalize arable land no longer under cultivation, in particular, needs to be comprehensible and concrete. I also ask that plans to create new industry by utilizing systems such as 'green factories' be realized promptly."

The discussion on tourism was joined by Mr. Kazuyoshi Kaneko, Minister of Land，Infrastructure，Transport and Tourism. With the goal in mind to increase the number of foreign visitors to Japan to 20 million by 2020, the Council proposed, among other matters, improvement of transportation networks supporting exchange activities and development of systems for their acceptance.

Prime Minister Aso said, "Many things that people from abroad find attractive may not give the same impression to the Japanese people as they do to foreign visitors. We have abundant assets that appeal to them. I want to thoroughly promote tourism. I also want to actively promote efforts, including one to bury telegraph poles underground in tourism spots, to realize scenic regions that are attractive to foreign visitors."

Related Link

• Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy (Cabinet Office)