Fifty-fourth General Meeting of the Quality-of-Life Council

Tokyo - Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda attended the 54th general meeting of the Quality-of-Life Council held at the Prime Minister's Official Residence, together with Mr. Fumio Kishida, the Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs, Science and Technology Policy, Quality-of-Life Policy, and Regulatory Reform. At the meeting, Prime Minister Fukuda requested that the Council deliberate broadly on the comprehensive review of the administration, with the conclusion to be made by next spring, to see whether laws, systems and business practices are functioning satisfactorily in the five key areas that form the basis of people's lives - "eat," "work," "create," "protect" and "live" - from the standpoint of the consumer and the people, to ensure that people feel safe and reassured as they live their daily lives. The instruction was made in response to the series of incidents that have taken place, which created great concern among the people for their lives, including falsification of earthquake-resistance data and false labeling of food products. Furthermore, in his address, the Prime Minister referred to his recent visit (pictured at left) to the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan (NCAC), saying, "I observed product testing and inspected the facility. It was a fresh reminder that dangers can exist in apparently ordinary circumstances," and continued, "I strongly expect that the Council will hold enthusiastic discussions truly from the viewpoint of the consumer and the people, so that people can go about their daily lives with a sense of reassurance."

The planned reviews will cover all of Japan's laws and policies directly related to national livelihood. The ministers are urged to report soon after any review and if inadequacies are found, the government will consider legal revisions in the next Diet session, which convenes in January. Among the numerous areas of concern, the safety of pharmaceuticals is one of the prime concerns, following the dragging HCV-tainted blood products scandals and the more recent Tamiflu debacle.

Data sourced from official publications; additional content by JKS staff