S/ Ishiba Shigeru, Prime Minister / We will vigorously promote Regional Revitalization 2.0, positioning it as the Reiwa-era transformation of Japan. Without succeeding in the initiative, Japan has no future. With this strong sense of urgency, we will proceed with this transformation. We will strongly promote the relocation of government institutions, including the Disaster Management Agency which we aim to establish, to regional areas for optimal domestic location.

Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru made these remarks at his first press conference of 2025 after visiting Ise Jingu shrine in Mie Prefecture on January 6.

Regional revitalization and disaster prevention are Ishiba's centerpiece policies.

To help revive local economies, he announced a new system for supporting dual-location activities for young government employees.

As for the private sector, Ishiba touched on plans to create an environment that would encourage moves like relocating corporate headquarters functions to regional areas.

Concerning electoral system reforms, he said he wants to engage in discussions with opposition parties amid a minority ruling parliament, noting the need for cross-party examinations based on about 30 years of history.

Meanwhile, the leader of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan spoke about his determination toward taking over the reins of government with an eye on the upper house election scheduled this summer.

S/ Noda Yoshihiko, Constitutional Democratic Party President / We want to make the House of Councillors election a major stepping stone toward achieving a change of government.

Noda Yoshihiko suggested that the possibility of forming a grand coalition with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party is low, saying that his primary goal is for his party to take power single-handedly and the secondary one is to do so in collaboration with other opposition parties.