The Second Ministerial Meeting Concerning Measures Against Crime Thursday, December 18, 2003 The Second Ministerial Meeting Concerning Measures Against Crime was held at the Prime Minister's Official Residence. This meeting was held in light of the current situation with frequent occurrence of juvenile and heinous crimes which pose an immediate threat to people's daily lives. Aiming for the re-establishment of Japan as "the safest country in the world," the meeting seeks to comprehensively and actively promote efficient and appropriate anti-crime measures since its establishment in September 2003. At the meeting, decision was made on the "Action Plan for the Realization of a Society Resistant to Crime." The Action Plan defined that the following three views are essential for the restoration of public security; i) assistance of activities for the people to secure their own safety; ii) improvement of a social environment where crime is less likely to occur; and iii) countermeasures against various crimes including the shoreline measures. Taking those views into consideration, the Action Plan established five prioritized issues to be tackled by the Government with the cooperation of the people of Japan, business establishments and local government, in accordance with the distinctive trend of the current situation of crime occurrence: i) deterrence of immediate crime that threatens the peaceful lives of people; ii) efforts to deter juvenile crime taken by the whole society; iii) response to cross-border threats; iv) protection of the economy and society from criminal organizations; and v) development of infrastructure for the restoration of public security. On closing the meeting, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said, "I will seek to regain the trust of the people of Japan on security by putting a break on the increasing trend of crime in the next five years as a goal."