Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama held the first meeting of the Local Sovereignty Strategy Council at the Prime Minister's Office.

The Local Sovereignty Strategy Council was established under the Cabinet Office in order to consider and carry out measures related to reforms which will contribute to the establishment of local sovereignty, and also carry out measures based on the Decentralization Reform Committee's advice, from the perspective of the early establishment of local sovereignty, where decisions on regional matters are taken by the local residents.

During the meeting, the Council members discussed matters such as the concept of local sovereignty, major issues facing local sovereignty reforms, ways to advance the reforms, and the draft plan for the promotion of local sovereignty reforms. 　

In the opening address, Prime Minister Hatoyama said, "We, the new government, did not achieve a change of government for the sake of changing governments. It was out of the strongest desire to change Japan in order to establish local sovereignty that we changed the government. That desire, I believe, is encapsulated in the Local Sovereignty Strategy Council. How we stipulate local sovereignty is very important because local sovereignty carries a similar significance as that which popular sovereignty carries. I aim to create a new nation and regions in which each of the people and the local residents can realize their thoughts and ideas, and act on them; and in which the regions can achieve a drastic change for a fresh start."