Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda held the 100th meeting of the Council for Science and Technology Policy at the Prime Minister's Office.

Discussion took place on key issues relating to science and technology policy which should be addressed moving forward, developments in science and technology policy, among other matters.

Based on the discussion, the Prime Minister said, "In order to break through the stagnation that hangs over Japan and to overcome the bottlenecks, I believe science and technology and innovation policies are critical. Furthermore, I believe these policies need to be positioned as the main engine when examining the national strategy moving forward. In the face of financial constraints, I would like to establish clear priorities.
With regard to the matter of the 'control tower' for the promotion of science and technology and innovation policies, I would like discussions to continue. Indeed, whenever there is an event that sparks our dreams, whether it is the success of HAYABUSA or induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells), there is increasingly more liveliness and excitement.
Through the steady implementation of the Fourth Science and Technology Basic Plan, I would like to, with all of you, foster an atmosphere conducive for younger researchers to ambitiously challenge themselves to open up frontiers."