Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Opening Statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Fujimura

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA:I have one item to report concerning the meeting of the Okinawa Promotion Working Group of the Okinawa Policy Council, which was held this morning.

Today, from 8:00am a meeting of the Okinawa Promotion Working Group of the Okinawa Policy Council was held. At the outset of the meeting the Government provided an explanation of the basic direction for considerations relating to a new promotion and development policy for Okinawa, based on considerations made to date.
Following the explanation from the Government, the Governor of Okinawa Prefecture and the heads of the city and municipal mayors associations of Okinawa made statements in response to the basic policy direction, in particular noting their requests.

Next, the Minister of State for Okinawa Affairs made a statement in which he noted that the Government would continue to engage in further exchanges of opinions with the prefecture and other bodies and that a new promotion and development policy would be formulated. He requested the continuing cooperation of other ministers concerned in these efforts.

Finally, I made a statement noting that it would be necessary to finalize the specific content of the new policy for promotion and development, in view of the timing of the formulation of the budget for the next fiscal year and the submission of draft bills to the next regular session of the Diet, and requesting the continued cooperation of the ministers concerned. The meeting was then adjourned.

(Abridged)