Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda held the 22nd meeting of the Aging Society Policy Council at the Diet Building.

Discussion took place on the draft of the new General Principles Concerning Measures for the Aged Society, which was decided at the subsequent Cabinet meeting.

Based on the discussion, the Prime Minister said, "The baby-boom generation now reached the age of 65. The population of elderly will increase by 1 million every year from now on. The aging of population in Japan is progressing at a speed that cannot be found in other countries, and is probably the fastest in the history of humankind. As a frontrunner on this issue, Japan has a large responsibility to create a leading model for the world. For this, it is necessary that the issues left for the comprehensive reform of social security and taxation systems should be addressed, and at the same time the new general principles that will be decided today should be the guideline for Japan that will become the super-aged society.
We should realize a society wherein everyone can participate in their own role, and where the elderly can serve an active role in local communities, hand down the knowledge and skills that had been nurtured over many years, and win respect. In addition, the economic power of the elderly should be actively included in the Japanese market. Creating such a virtuous cycle is one of the important keys for restoring the Japanese economy.
I would like to ask the relevant Cabinet members to steadily implement the General Principles Concerning Measures for the Aged Society."