Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Q&As

(Abridged)

REPORTER: With regard to the meeting of the Government Revitalization Unit held today in which a draft for administrative reform was concluded, the Prime Minister has also stated that this draft represents a significant endeavor as a means of gaining the understanding of the public with regard to the comprehensive reform of social security and tax system. From the perspectives of advancing comprehensive reform and gaining the understanding of the public, how satisfactory do you consider this draft for administrative reform to be?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA: I believe that Deputy Prime Minister Okada has given a press briefing with regard to the Government Revitalization Unit, and in the discussions today the draft for reform received an extremely good evaluation from private sector members. However it will be important to devise means of conveying the content of this draft thoroughly and in an understandable manner. From the perspective of full-fledged government revitalization it is a fact that the Government has already implemented a number of measures and the private sector members of the Government Revitalization Unit commended these efforts highly. The next question is how we convey the content of the reforms to the public and engage in efforts in the areas of administrative reform and government revitalization. It is also a fact that in the area of special accounts specific figures have been cited in the initial budget for fiscal 2012, including the transfer of 2 trillion yen from the foreign exchange funds special account and a 1 trillion yen surplus from the special account for investment. Reform of the special accounts will continue in the future, with all surpluses being carefully scrutinized and the necessary funds being transferred to the general account budget.

(Abridged)