Joint Meeting of the Special Public Institutions Reform Promotion Headquarters (Fifth Meeting) and the Cabinet Headquarters for Administrative Reform (Eighth Meeting) Tuesday, December 18, 2001 The Joint Meeting of the Special Public Institutions Reform Promotion Headquarters (Fifth meeting) and the Cabinet Headquarters for Administrative Reform (Eighth meeting) was held at the Prime Minister's Official Residence. At the meeting, a "Reorganization and Rationalization Plan for Special Public Institutions" was formulated, and an "Interim Report of Implementation Plan for Reform of Administration-Commissioned Public Interest Corporations (Subsidiary-related)" was approved. In the Reorganization and Rationalization Plan for Special Public Institutions, of the current 163 special public institutions, excluding 45 mutual aid associations, 17 institutions will be abolished, 45 will be privatized and 38 will be merged in 36 independent administrative institutions. During FY2002, efforts will be made to specify details concerning scope of operations and during FY2003, it is planned to take necessary measures concerning modalities of organizational structures. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi stated, "Administrative reform is about to enter an important phase from now. I would like everyone to cooperate in the drafting of legislation. It is vital that we have the will not to maintain the status quo, but to rather demolish it, otherwise reform will not be possible. Next year is the key. I would like this Headquarters to create the organizational structure necessary for evaluation and monitoring of status progress and to advance follow-up."