[Provisional Translation]

On Thursday, April 19, from 9:45 a.m. for about 15 minutes, Mr. Hiromasa Yonekura, one of the co-chairmen of the EU-Japan Business Round Table (BRT) paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda. The overview of the meeting is as follows. On the Japan side, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Nagahama and others were in attendance.

1. Co-Chairman Yonekura handed Prime Minister Noda a set of recommendations to the Governments of Japan and the EU that was adopted at the annual BRT meeting held on Tuesday, April 3 and Wednesday, April 4. Co-Chair Yonekura noted that the scoping exercise for an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between Japan and the EU was coming to an end, and that the recommendations proposed the exercise complete with ambitious outcomes. The Co-Chairman also stated that in order to realize potential for growth of both sides, the promotion of trade and investment through the EPA was important, and as such, he expressed expectations that Prime Minister Noda would exercise leadership to agree on the launch of full-scale negotiations at the Japan-EU Summit this year.
   
   
2. In response, Prime Minister Noda expressed his gratitude for the positive recommendations that reflect the lively discussion at the BRT annual meeting and support advancing the Japan-EU EPA, an important agenda for Japan. In addition, The Prime Minister commented that through the relationship with the EU, Japan would contribute to a certain extent to the stability of the Euro zone. He noted that Japan's intention to support through the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had already been announced, and said that realizing a Japan-EU EPA is significant as it would boost trade and investment between Japan and the EU. In terms of non-tariff measures, which the EU-side had shown interest in, he noted that he would exercise leadership toward regulatory and institutional reforms.