At the first meeting of the Council for Regulatory Reform at the Prime Minister's Official Residence, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi handed Chairman Yoshihiko Miyauchi an inquiry about comprehensive regulatory reform.
Addressing the Council, Prime Minister Koizumi stated, "having listened to questions from members of both the House of Representatives and House of Councilors, I got the opposition parties are criticizing that it is only the face of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) that has changed and that its substance remains the same."
The Prime Minister further remarked, "However, I incorporated in my Policy Speech everything I set forth in the LDP Presidential Election. I shall henceforth enter into debate on specific issues. I would also like to demonstrate through the results achieved by this Council that this is the most enthusiastic Cabinet ever in terms of regulatory reform. I believe that Minister of State for Administrative and Regulatory Reform Nobuteru Ishihara will also ardently address this issue, and as such I would kindly ask for your cooperation as I too exert my utmost efforts to ensure that this Council achieves results in its capacity as a council for genuine regulatory reform."