Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda held the third meeting of the Council on National Strategy and Policy at the Prime Minister's Office.

Discussion took place on the basic concept of the Basic Strategy for Revitalizing Japan, priorities for the FY2012 budget formulation, and Japan's international contributions in the area of "human security."

Based on the discussion, the Prime Minister said, "I would like a draft outline of the Basic Principles of the Budget Formulation to be discussed at the next meeting, which shall then be considered and decided by the Ministerial Committee on the Formulation of the Budget.
With regard to the highlight of the budget formulation, the Program to Prioritize the Revival of Japan, the Government and Ruling Parties Council on the Formulation of the Budget is now working on selecting priority and key programs. I would like today's discussions to be considered fully in making the final decision.
As to the Basic Strategy for Revitalizing Japan, I would like Mr. Motohisa Furukawa, Minister for National Policy, to lead the efforts in compiling the strategy in line with the basic concept discussed today. In the process, I would like key measures of the New Growth Strategy to be targeted and implemented with a sense of urgency with a view to accelerating the implementation of the New Growth Strategy.
Today, we also discussed the scheme for Japan's international contributions for the realization of 'human security' in Asia. With Mr. Takeshi Maeda, Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, in attendance today, the issue of the flooding in Thailand, too, was discussed. I believe Japan's leadership in such initiatives will contribute to peace and prosperity in the international community as well as to strengthening Japan's presence. Furthermore, I believe leveraging Japan's strengths outside of our borders will lead to Japan's economic growth.
From this perspective, I would like the Minister for National Policy to compile the draft Basic Strategy for Revitalizing Japan to be created by the end of the year, so that the Strategy incorporates measures for contributing to the realization of human security with a focus on Asia."