Top �� What's up around the Prime Minister �� February, 2004

The Third Meeting of the Headquarters for the Regional Revitalization Friday, February 27, 2004 The meeting of the Headquarters for the Regional Revitalization was held in the National Diet Building. At the meeting, decision was made on the "Program for the Promotion of Regional Revitalization" which incorporates the framework of a specific system for the promotion of regional revitalization, details on assistance measures to be provided by the Government, and its schedule. In response to a call for proposals on ideas for regional revitalization to promote regional economy and to create regional employment based on the "Basic Guidelines for the Promotion of Regional Revitalization" that was decided in December 2003, the Headquarters received a total of 673 responses (or 1,557 proposals on specific assistance measures). 141 specific assistance measures (of which 118 apply nationwide) of those proposals were deemed feasible and were incorporated in the Program as assistance measures to be provided by the Government. New measures available for implementation include conversion of use of public facilities such as closed down school buildings and increased flexibility in road and river occupancy at times when an event is held. The Government will submit nine related bills necessary for the realization of this Program to the current session of the Diet, and will receive and give approval to specific regional revitalization plans submitted by local public bodies after May. At the closing of the meeting, Prime Minister Koizumi said, "I would like to call upon all of you to fully support the wisdom and motivation of regions so that the regional revitalization plan would be drawn up in the verifiable ways."