Prime Minister Naoto Kan held the 17th meeting of the Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters at the Prime Minister's Office.

Based on the discussion, the Prime Minister said, "Things have progressed this far with regard to Step 1 thanks above all to the people working really hard at the site. I visited the site myself last Saturday and saw so many people - thousands of people including those from Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) as well as its affiliated companies and subcontractors - working hard in the hot weather. I think their efforts are truly remarkable.
While further steps still need to be taken as explained in the report for the conclusion of the nuclear power station incident, on the other hand new problems have been recognized such as those concerned with beef. These issues involve most ministries and agencies, and we need to stay alert in order to completely grasp such impacts of the incident as we seek its immediate conclusion at the same time. Furthermore, for the people in the affected regions, I would like necessary steps to be thoroughly taken including decontamination, as just explained by the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries."