[Provisional Translation]

The State Ministers for the Second Reshuffled Third Abe Cabinet were determined during today’s Cabinet meeting.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended the attestation ceremony for the newly appointed State Ministers at the Imperial Palace. The Prime Minister then returned to the Prime Minister’s Office, where he held a commemorative photograph session with Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga and the newly appointed State Ministers, and attended the first meeting of State Ministers.

In his opening remarks, the Prime Minister said,

“I would like to offer some remarks to the meeting of the State Ministers.

“With the global economy now facing various risks, Japan must mobilize all policies and further accelerate Abenomics. We must work to achieve maximum escape velocity in order to  exit deflation.

The other day, we approved strong economic policies allocating funds for projects on the scale of more than 28 trillion yen. We will submit a supplementary budget to the extraordinary session of the Diet this autumn that will make bold investments into the future. Based on the stable political foundation that we have achieved thanks to the recent House of Councillors election, we will realize each of the policies that we promised the public thoroughly and with an even greater sense of urgency. We must produce results. I have reshuffled the Cabinet in order to organize the kind of strong personnel structure that we will need to do that. With this new line-up, we will raise high the flag of ‘a society in which all citizens are dynamically engaged’ and strive toward a bright future for Japan.

The greatest mission of this Cabinet is to fulfill our ‘responsibility to the future.’ We will not be able to pioneer a new future without bold reforms. Time and time again, we will take on challenges working towards the future of this country. I do not want any State Ministers to pursue reform in their own field passively. I want you to take on bold challenges. I ask that you all build appropriate relationships of trust with your subordinates in the bureaucracy, and create an environment in which all ministries and agencies are able to fully exercise their capabilities. I also request that you work closely together with Parliamentary Vice-Ministers, and support Ministers.

I hope that you will each fully exercise your respective strengths as you fulfil your duties, working as one and giving your utmost to pursue politics for the people and the nation. With that I would like to conclude my address.