"The World and Japan" Database (Project Leader: TANAKA Akihiko)
Database of Japanese Politics and International Relations
National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS); Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia (IASA), The University of Tokyo

[Title] Statement by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

[Place]
[Date] September 11, 2019
[Source] Prime Minister of Japan and His Cabinet
[Notes] Provisional translation, Cabinet Decision
[Full text]

In the recent House of Councillors election, the first national election since the curtain rose on the era of Reiwa, this government received a strong mandate from the public.

Upon this stable political foundation this Cabinet will bring to fruition, one and then another, the policies we pledged during the election campaign and resolutely advance our new nation-building efforts in the Reiwa era.

The greatest challenge is responding to our declining birthrate and aging population. As we make early childhood education and daycare free of charge and make higher education free of charge for those children truly in need, we will also push forward reforms that will make the social security system where all generations can enjoy peace of mind, spanning comprehensively pensions, medical services, and nursing care, with our eyes firmly fixed on the era of a 100-year society.

We will overcome the rough seas of the rapidly changing international situation and lead rule-making for the new era upon the world stage. We will also advance strong diplomacy that secures our national interests.

We will welcome to Japan heads of state and government from around the world for the Emperor's Ceremonies of the Accession to the Throne. From this month, the Rugby World Cup will be hosted by Japan for the first time, and next year the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games will be held. Moreover, in 2025, the World Exposition will take place in Osaka, Kansai. The eyes of the world will be upon Japan.

In this era that is full of a sense of dynamic vibrancy towards the future, the Abe Cabinet is determined to carve out, together with the Japanese people, an era of Reiwa, and a Japan, in which we take pride and which are brimming with hope. I once again ask the public for its understanding and cooperation.