Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda attended the second Ministerial Council on the Promotion of Economic Revival through Women's Active Participation held at the Prime Minister's Office.

Discussion took place on the Action Plan for Economic Revival through Women's Active Participation (Draft).

Based on the discussion, the Prime Minister said, "The greatest potential to move Japan forward is women. Women's active participation is essential for revitalizing Japan. I would like to give instructions on the future approach.
First is to accelerate the measures which the national government should take the lead in to set an example. One of the specific measures is to formulate a roadmap for civil servants to first achieve the goals related to taking paternity leave, that are common to both the public and private sectors.
Second is to reinforce effective policy measures to support the endeavors of women, including starting businesses and reemployment.
Third is the approach by all Cabinet members, beyond the borders of ministries, for the visualization of the state of women's participation in as many companies as possible. Further, the Comprehensive Visualization Plan including specific measures on encouraging the efforts of companies should be formulated by the end of the year.
The Action Plan for Economic Revival through Women's Active Participation compiled today is precisely the first step towards achieving women's active participation in society. I would like to ask the Cabinet members to further work on materializing measures based on this plan, and to reflect those measures in the Strategy for Revitalizing Japan."