Top �� What's up around the Prime Minister �� November, 2003

The Third Ceremony of Certification of Plans for Special Zones for Structural Reform Friday, November 28, 2003 Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi attended the third Ceremony of Certification of Plans for Special Zones for Structural Reform held at the Prime Minister's Official Residence. The system of Special Zones for Structural Reform is the one that harnesses the initiative of local governments to carry out their own structural reform and permits exceptional regulations in response to local characteristics, based on the basic policy of "leave to the localities what they can do." The system went into full operation in April this year. The third certification ceremony newly approved 72 plans, leading the total number of special zones created in the past six months alone to 236 in all over the nation. Special zones approved on this occasion included the "Japan's Hometown (Furusato) Revival Special Zone" in Tono City, Iwate Prefecture, which aims to enhance exchanges with cities by allowing the provision of homemade sake or rice wine (Doburoku) at farm guesthouses; the "Robot Development and Practical Testing Special Zone" proposed by Fukuoka Prefecture and others, which seeks to create new industries through promoting the development of robots useful in daily life; and the "Higashikawa-cho, Hokkaido, Integrated Childcare Special Zone," where the town is aiming to promote integrated childcare and education through joint childcare and improve the convenience of childcare services by establishing a unified management system. Prime Minister Koizumi bestowed the certificates to each recipient. Prior to conferring the certificates, Prime Minister Koizumi said, "I hope that the local governments receiving certification today will utilize their special zones for structural reform and become the regional engine that changes Japan as 'pioneers of structural reform.'"