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National Commission on Social Security Friday, June 6, 2008 JAPANESE

Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda held the 5th meeting of the National Commission on Social Security at the Prime Minister's Office. At the meeting, the Commission members exchanged opinions on the long-term stability of the public pension system; the burden and the stable financing needed to sustain the social security system; the securing of the people's trust in the social security system; and issues to be addressed in system operation. They further discussed the interim reports to be compiled by the subcommittees. At the end of the meeting, Prime Minister Fukuda said, "Going forward, I expect that even more detailed discussions will take place at the meeting toward the compilation of the interim report. Currently, we are facing two kinds of issues: those that require immediate responses and those of a substantial nature, such as the pension system issue. Both kinds are equally important and we must address each issue devotedly. I ask the members of the Commission to discuss not only immediate-term measures for emergent issues such as the reconstruction of medical services in the regions, but also the system itself that generates problems."