Prime Minister Naoto Kan attended the seventh meeting of the senior vice-ministers at the Prime Minister's Office.

The Prime Minister said in his address, "Three months have passed since the start of this administration, and we are now at the stage to tackle specific issues and bring about solutions. In particular, you have gathered here today to discuss regulatory reforms, which I recognize as a major issue. Using a drastic zero-based approach, we must start with a clean slate, thinking from the standpoint of the people or the development of the Japanese economy, while leaving in place a minimum set of rules concerning safety and other requirements. By thinking upside down, I would like you to make a breakthrough in areas where there are many regulations due to compartmentalized bureaucracy."