Top > What's up around the Prime Minister > December, 2005

The First Meeting of the Headquarters for the Promotion of the Reform of Policy-based Finance Friday, December 16, 2005 JAPANESE The First Meeting of the Headquarters for the Promotion of the Reform of Policy-based Finance, which is headed by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, was held at the Prime Minister's Official Residence. The Headquarters, comprised of all Cabinet members, three Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretaries, and the Director-General of the Cabinet Legislation Bureau, was established based on the "Concerning the Establishment of the Headquarters for the Promotion of the Reform of Policy-based Finance" (Cabinet decision on December 9) with an aim to implement policy finance reform smoothly and steadily. In closing the meeting, Prime Minister Koizumi said in his address, "Although the opposition to policy finance reform was not as strong as the opposition to the privatization of the postal services, the voices conveying that policy finance reform is unnecessary had been overwhelming, particularly from within the ruling parties. Therefore, the fact that we have agreed on the need for the reform of both the organization and function is epoch-making. I would like to see the Cabinet work together in unity to promote the reform for the interests of the nation, not the interests of the ministries."