Prime Minister Naoto Kan attended the sixth meeting of the Review Meeting on Economic Situations held at the Prime Minister's Office.

Based on the discussion, the Prime Minister said, "Although there is the impact of the earthquake, the current economic situation is expected to begin making a recovery by the second half of this year. On the other hand, we need to keep an eye out for various risks, including the limitation of electric power supply and the deterioration of the employment situation. In the medium- to long-term, initiatives to ensure the sustainability of public finance and social security as well as initiatives to generate new growth will be important. My understanding is that this is what we confirmed today.
Therefore, in accordance with the Guideline on Policy Promotion approved by the Cabinet on May 17, it is important that we advance, among others, the early recovery from the earthquake, the comprehensive reform of the social security and taxation systems, and the strategy for innovative energy and environment."