Top �� What's up around the Prime Minister �� October, 2002

Sixth Meeting of the Special Public Institutions Reform Promotion Headquarters Friday, October 18, 2002 (Photograph by the Mainichi Newspaper) The sixth meeting of the Special Public Institutions Reform Promotion Headquarters was held at the Prime Minister's Official Residence with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in attendance. At the meeting, the "Basic Policy on abolition and privatization of Special Public Institutions and the establishment of Independent Administrative Institutions and other matters" was decided upon. Under this Basic Policy, in accordance with the Reorganization and Rationalization Plan for Special Public Institutions adopted by Cabinet Decision in December 2001, a severe review will be conducted focusing on operations beginning with the abolition and privatization of special public institutions. The Basic Policy also includes items such as aiming to establish appropriate salary levels for directors and employees of new independent administrative institutions, and a total of 46 reform bills covering special public institutions and others are to be presented to the extraordinary session of the Diet that began on this day. At the closing of the meeting, Prime Minister Koizumi stated, "I call upon you to steadily advance reform in accordance with the Basic Policy that was decided upon today. Furthermore, you must bear in mind that between now and the end of the year there are many major issues awaiting conclusion, including the four Highway Public Corporations, policy-based finance, and airports, and as such I call upon you to continue to take an active approach toward reform."