Policy Speech by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to the 168 th Session of the Diet

Embassy of Japan

September 11, 2007

At the opening of the 168 th session of the Diet, Prime Minister Abe made a policy speech and addressed a broad range of policies he is about to press forward. On the issues of reforms, Prime Minister Abe expressed his strong resolution to continue the reforms he promised last September, and, at the same time, take necessary measures to mitigate the downside of the reforms. On J apanese Maritime Self-Defense Forces’ operations in the Indian Ocean , he emphasized the importance of the operations and declared his determination to continue the operation. Regarding the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit to be held next year in Japan , Prime Minister Abe reiterated that he would take the initiative to advance environmental issues.

The transcript of the entire speech is available at:

http://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/abespeech/2007/09/10syosin_e.html

The following are the excerpts from Prime Minister Abe’s Policy Speech.

• Continuing Reforms

Since taking office in September last year, the Abe Administration has been advancing the construction of the frameworks for a new vision of the country befitting the new age, such as the revision of the Basic Education Law and the enactment of the Public Service System Reform Law. At the same time, we have been advancing the New Growth Strategy to transform our economy into a robust one which can withstand the declining birth rate and aging population as well as internationalization. The economy has been put on a stable path of recovery, and employment has been expanding, thus producing concrete results. We must not change the fundamental course of reform. We must never allow ourselves to go back to the former political methods of pork barreling and the "convoy system."

However, reforms are inevitably accompanied by pain. We have been endeavoring to take necessary measures to cope with this, but it has not been quite sufficient. From now on, while advancing reforms, we will do our utmost to implement policies which are compassionate and warm, and which squarely shed light on the downsides of reforms.

• Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Operations in the Indian Ocean

There will be no security and prosperity for Japan without peace and stability of the world. We must not forget that as many as 24 precious Japanese lives were taken away in the September 11th terrorist attacks in the U.S. The fight against terrorism is ongoing. The Maritime Self-Defense Force's operations based on the Anti-Terrorism Special Measures Law provide an indispensable foundation for maritime interdiction operations jointly undertaken by many countries, and they are highly appreciated by the international community. Members of the Self-Defense Force diligently attending to their duties in the red-hot Indian Ocean -- this is the very form of international contribution the world expects of Japan . Would it really be appropriate to pull back now and abandon our responsibilities to the international community? I urge you to render your understanding, so that the operations can continue.

• Leading the World on Environment

Global warming is a common global agenda, which affects the existence of humanity. I proposed the "Cool Earth 50" initiative at the G8 Summit in Heiligendamm, and gained understanding for the idea of a framework in which all major greenhouse gas emitters can participate. Our environmental technologies make our country proud in the world. We will achieve compatibility between environment and economy in a way characteristic of Japan, which regards the environment not as a constraint on but rather as a boost for economic growth, through such means as the promotion of widespread use of energy conservation technologies overseas.

I will continue to take the leadership so that we can make further progress at the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit to be held next year.

The transcript of the entire speech is available at:

http://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/abespeech/2007/09/10syosin_e.html

[Related links]

*Japanese Prime Minister’s Official Residence website

http://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/index-e.html

*Activities in Response to International Terrorism (Ministry of Defense website)

http://www.mod.go.jp/msdf/english/index06.html

* Prime Minister Abe’s Proposal on Climate Change

http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/environment/warm/coolearth50/index.html

* Prime Minister Abe’s Speech “Invitation to ‘Cool Earth 50’” ( May 24, 2007 )