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

At this meeting, opinions were exchanged on the Innovative Strategy for Energy and the Environment, which was decided in the Energy and Environment Council held the previous week.

Based on the discussion, the Prime Minister said,

"In the Innovative Strategy for Energy and Environment, the Energy and Environment Council showed the overall direction of the energy policy in the future, such as to aim for realizing a society that does not depend on nuclear power through a broad national debate.
In order to specifically realize the direction upheld in the strategy, it is necessary to strongly push forward 'green innovation,' which is the prioritized area in the Strategy for Rebirth of Japan that had been complied in the Council on National Strategy and Policy the other day, and to aim for the acceleration of energy conservation and the dramatic expansion of renewable energy.
On the other hand, the energy policy of Japan has a long history accumulated so far.
In addition, the future will be significantly affected by various uncertainties.
Therefore, for the future energy policy, we must have a strategy that has both a secure direction and the flexibility to cope with changes in the situation, without wavering from the basic policy and also not excessively restricting future decisions.
In the meeting today, there were also opinions on the economic impact of the realization of this Innovative Strategy for Energy and Environment. We should take such opinions seriously, and also pay attention to the relationships with the local governments in which nuclear power plants are located and with other countries as well.
By repeating discussions with these relevant parties, and through the future implementation of inspections and constant reviews, I would like to steadily realize the energy policy with which people can feel assured, step by step."