Home > News > Diplomatic Relations > April 2012 > Courtesy Call on Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda by Mr. Jose Angel Gurria Trevino, Secretary-General of the OECD (Outline)
Courtesy Call on Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda by Mr. Jose Angel Gurria Trevino, Secretary-General of the OECD (Outline)
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
[Provisional Translation]
On Wednesday, April 25, from around 5:00 p.m. for around 10 minutes, Mr. Yoshihiko Noda, Prime Minister of Japan, received a courtesy call from Mr. Jose Angel Gurria Trevino, Secretary-General of the OECD, who is visiting Japan, at the Prime Minister's Office. The overview of the meeting is as follows. (Attending on the OECD side were Mr. Luiz De Mello, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Secretary-General of the OECD, among others. Attending on the Japan side were Mr. Hiroyuki Nagahama, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary, and Mr. Akihisa Nagashima, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister, among others).
- Recovery and reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake
At the beginning of the meeting Prime Minister Noda noted that since Secretary-General Gurría delivered a powerful message on Japan's economic recovery when he visited Japan in April last year the Japanese economy has been undergoing a gentle recovery, and he also expressed his gratitude for the policy recommendations for Japan compiled by Secretary-General Gurría for his current visit to Japan.
In response, Secretary-General Gurria said the OECD wants to continue to fully cooperate on Japan's recovery and economic rehabilitation.
- Policy recommendations for Japan
Secretary-General Gurria made policy recommendations accompanying his latest visit to Japan, and said that: 1. He considers lifting consumption tax to 10% is a reasonable measure compared to other major countries; 2. He supports Japan's initiatives to engage in high-level economic alliances, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and its efforts to reform its agricultural industry; 3. He supports the ongoing use of nuclear energy, with the assurance of safety as a major premise.
In response, Prime Minister Noda once again expressed thanks for these policy recommendations, and stated that Japan wants to share the knowledge and lessons it obtains as a result of the Great East Japan Earthquake and the accident at Tokyo Electric Power Company's Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station with the international community, including the OECD.
