Friday, July 17, 2009
At the meeting, the Council discussed matters such as a roadmap for overcoming the economic crisis and countermeasures for possible risks, and local public authorities' responses to the supplementary budget of fiscal 2009.
Prime Minister Aso said, "We are getting to the stage of achieving our initial target of halting the rapid downturn in the economy, and thus gradually overcoming the top priority issue, thanks to stimulus measures, among other countermeasures. We must make such moves certain. The cabinet's mission is to put the Japanese economy on a track of stronger economic recovery. As such, we will promptly convene a meeting of the Headquarters for Emergency Employment and Economic Measures to conduct a comprehensive review of the progress of economic countermeasures.
"We must maintain a tight rein on the advancement of economic countermeasures so that we can respond to and overcome various risks. [The economic crisis] must absolutely be overcome in three years, a period set for the full recovery [of the Japanese economy.]"