[Provisional Translation]

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended the presentation ceremony of the FY2015 Prime Minister’s Awards for the Hometown Development Grand Prize and Hometown Event Grand Prize, at the Prime Minister’s Office.

The Prime Minister said in his address,

“Congratulations, everyone. I would like to offer my congratulatory remarks.

First, I would like to sincerely congratulate the recipients of the Prime Minister’s Award, including everyone from Katsuyama City, Fukui Prefecture’s ‘Ohara ECO Project,’ and Towada City, Aomori Prefecture’s ‘Sakura Horseback Archery Implementation Committee.’

In local communities, there are many residents with passion, and you are at the top of that list. You are deeply determined to bring out the potential of a wide range of previously dormant regional resources and maximize them towards the future.

In my home region of Shimonoseki City and Nagato City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, there are young people who are enthusiastically undertaking activities to make full use of the region’s inimitable resources, including rich nature, culture, history, and cuisine, to pave the way for the new generation.

The font of this passion is the love each person has for their hometown. I anticipate that the initiatives of those who received the Prime Minister’s Award today will drive hometown development across the country, and support the further growth of Japan from the grassroots level.

The Abe Cabinet also aims to proactively continue hometown development initiatives. I pray for your continued engagement in this area, and would like to end my congratulatory remarks here. Congratulations.”