Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda held the 20th meeting of the Aging Society Policy Council at the Prime Minister's Office.

Discussion took place on the consideration for new General Principles Concerning Measures for the Aged Society.

The Prime Minister said in his opening address, "Japan is becoming an aged society at a speed unprecedented in the history of humankind. Instead of being pessimistic about this, we should aim to create a leading model for the world by squarely facing the reality of our aging society. This will be our basic approach for the formulation of the General Principles Concerning Measures for the Aged Society. For my part, I have three basic points for consideration to propose.
The first relates to how the elderly should be provided with a place to belong or a role to play, the second concerns how the elderly should be prevented from becoming isolated, and the third is about how one should prepare for post-retirement life during their career. Although these three are the basic points for consideration, I would also like to add the issue of how we should stimulate consumption among the elderly as another important point.
Based on these thoughts, I would like to launch discussion for the formulation of the General Principles."