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Council of Government and Ruling Parties
on Building a Reassuring Social Security System and Reforming Taxation
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Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda held a meeting of the Council of Government and Ruling Parties on Building a Reassuring Social Security System and Reforming Taxation at the Prime Minister's Official Residence.
This Council was established to enable comprehensive discussions between the government and the ruling parties on taxation reform, including the consumption tax, as well as fiscal consolidation to maintain standards of medical care and pension systems. Prime Minister Fukuda said, "We cannot let the outstanding issues affect people's daily lives. For the pension and social security systems, in particular, which have close links to the people's livelihoods, it is essential that we build, from a long-term perspective, systems that will ensure the people's trust long into the future." The Prime Minister also said, "It is the responsibility of politicians, from ruling and opposition parties alike, to envision the future of the social security system or of our nation that is now undergoing declining birthrates, and to secure a stable supply of revenue sources necessary for the realization of that vision, so as not to shift the burden onto the shoulders of future generations." |