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[Provisional Translation]

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended the U.S.-Japan Council Annual Meeting held in Tokyo.

The Prime Minister said in his address,

“I am very pleased today to attend the first ever U.S.-Japan Council Annual Meeting held in Japan. I was invited to this event by Ms. Irene Hirano Inouye half a year ago, and have been very much looking forward to it. I want to again express my gratitude for the constant support for Japan-U.S. relations provided by everyone gathered here today. You are all great supporters of Japan-U.S. relations.

During my official visit to the United States in April, I had the opportunity to hold a summit meeting with President Obama and address a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress. It fills me with deep emotion to think that our two countries, once at war, were able to reconcile and form a strong alliance that has built peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region and the world for over 70 years.

In Los Angeles on the West Coast, I offered a wreath at the Go For Broke Monument for Japanese-American World War II veterans and visited the Japanese American National Museum.

There can be no doubt that the establishment of our robust Japan-U.S. Alliance and its development to date owe much to the enormous contributions of many people in a variety of positions from both our countries, including everyone here today, as well as your work to promote mutual exchanges. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

The Japan-U.S. Alliance forms the cornerstone of regional peace and stability. As I said in my speech to the U.S. Congress, as an ‘Alliance of Hope’ in the 21st century, I believe that the Japan-U.S. Alliance should not be limited to regional peace and prosperity, but contribute even more to global peace and prosperity as well.

I have heard that the title of today’s annual conference is “Beyond 2020 Vision: Going Global with the U.S.-Japan Partnership.” I think this is a truly timely title.

The recently enacted Legislation for Peace and Security, together with the initiatives being carried out under the new Guidelines, will further strengthen the deterrent capabilities of the Japan-U.S. security system and encourage the development of widespread Japan-U.S. security cooperation for peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.

In addition, these developments have also made it possible for us to expand the potential of Japan’s international contributions and to further contribute to the peace and prosperity of the international community.

Looking at the economy, Japan and the United States have been leading the way in TPP negotiations, and recently, we were able to reach an agreement in principle. The TPP will act as the foundation for new commerce rules suited to the 21st century. It will make a great contribution to economic development in the Asia-Pacific region.

Based on that agreement in principle on the TPP, I now hope to further promote other economic linkages in the Asia-Pacific region, such as the RCEP and FTAAP.

In addition to this kind of cooperation, it is also important that we work to promote more expansive and multifaceted bilateral exchanges. Under its Japanese-American leadership, the U.S.-Japan Council is promoting bilateral human exchange across all generations and fostering the leaders of the next generation.

The TOMODACHI Initiative, established to offer reconstruction support following the Great East Japan Earthquake, is an excellent example of this. As we approach the five year milestone since the Great East Japan Earthquake, I would like to announce that the Japanese Government will be bolstering its cooperative relationship with the TOMODACHI Initiative.

Once again, this fiscal year we will be continuing the TOMODACHI Inouye Scholars Program for exchanges at the university student level, which was carried out last fiscal year as part of the KAKEHASHI Project. This program, which bears the name of President Irene Hirano Inouye’s late husband, Senator Daniel K. Inouye, is being implemented thanks to the tremendous cooperation of the U.S.-Japan Council.

Through these exchange programs, I expect that we will see the promotion of bilateral personal exchanges and that this will lead to the further bolstering of Japan-U.S. relations.

At the beginning of this month, we successfully opened the first Japan-China-ROK Trilateral Summit Meeting in three and a half years. Important summit meetings will continue from next week on with the opening of the G20, APEC, and EAS meetings. Under the robust Japan-U.S. Alliance, our two countries will cooperate closely to make these meetings a success.

Lastly, I would like to conclude my remarks by expressing my hope that there will be lively discussions in this annual conference, and that it will contribute to the further development of Japan-U.S. relations. Thank you.”