Wednesday, April 28, 2004

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The exhibition to commemorate the first anniversary of the establishment of the Special Zones for Structural Reform was held at the Prime Minister's Official Residence. The system of Special Zones for Structural Reform, which went into full operation in April 2003, is one that harnesses the initiative of local governments and the private sector to carry out their own structural reform and permits exceptional regulations in response to local characteristics, based on the basic policy of "from public sector to private sector" and "from the state to the regions." The total number of special zones created in this one year amounts to as many as 324 in all over the nation. Exhibits on 18 of them were displayed at the Prime Minister's Official Residence. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and other Cabinet ministers took a close look at each of the 18 exhibits which included the display of an ostrich egg from the "Special Zone for the Creation of a New Urban Agriculture" in Sagamihara City, Kanagawa Prefecture, a miniature model of a school building from the "Special Zone for Consistent Education at Elementary through Lower Secondary Schools" in Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo and a patrolling robot from the "Special Zone for the Development and Demonstration Test of Robots" in Kitakyushu City and Fukuoka City of Fukuoka Prefecture.