Prime Minister Naoto Kan held the first meeting of the Headquarters for the Reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake at the Prime Minister's Office.

The Headquarters was established within the Cabinet pursuant to the Basic Act on Reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake, which entered into force on June 24.

At the meeting, Dr. Makoto Iokibe, Chair of the Reconstruction Design Council in Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake, explained the contents of the proposal which was submitted to the Prime Minister from the Reconstruction Design Council on June 25. Discussion also took place on the management of the Headquarters, among other matters.

The Prime Minister said in his opening address, "This headquarters was established pursuant to the Basic Act on Reconstruction, and is in a position to formulate guidelines based on the proposal which was received from the Reconstruction Design Council last Saturday and to advance the planning for a full-fledged reconstruction.
I ask that you do your utmost to ensure that the reconstruction work meets the expectations of the people and proceeds promptly, without interrupting any of the measures we have taken to date and the measures we need to make moving forward."
Based on the discussion, the Prime Minister also said, "A basic policy on reconstruction needs to be formulated. This policy will be compiled in the form of guidelines which give maximum respect to the proposal of the Reconstruction Design Council chaired by Dr. Iokibe.
I look forward to wide-ranging discussions on the issues of special zones and the fiscal resources needed for the reconstruction, the issue of the Reconstruction Agency, and other issues, also bearing in mind the process of how the Basic Act on Reconstruction itself was enacted based on the revised proposal of the ruling and opposition parties.
My hope is that things will move forward as quickly as possible. Of course, there are also issues which must be dealt with carefully and need to be considered thoroughly. However, I believe it is also critical from the perspective of obtaining the understanding of the people that we further pursue restoration and reconstruction on the basis that we continue to do whatever we can to advance this work."