[Provisional Translation]

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended the 100th Anniversary Ceremony of the America-Japan Society held in Tokyo in the presence of Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress of Japan.

The Prime Minister said in his congratulatory address,

"I would like to offer my heartfelt congratulations on the 100th anniversary of the America-Japan Society today, in the presence of Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress of Japan.

The America-Japan Society is an organization with a long heritage established by wise people from Japan and the United States, including Kentaro Kaneko, in 1917. Former prime ministers, including Shigeru Yoshida and Takeo Fukuda, have served as the President of the Society, and my grandfather, Nobusuke Kishi, also served as the Society's sixth President from 1968 to 1984.

The Japan-U.S. relationship is supported by exchanges between people. With its goal of promoting mutual understanding and friendship between Japan and the United States, the America-Japan Society has played the most essential role of connecting the hearts of the people of Japan and the United States over an entire century. I want to take this opportunity of the 100th anniversary to again express my respect to the Society.

Although Japan and the United States fought fiercely as adversaries in World War II, the United States came to Japan's aid in the post-war reconstruction period and supported the return of Japan to the international community.
In the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, it was also the United States that extended a helping hand right away. The Japanese people will never forget how reassuring it was to have our tomodachi (friends) from the United States coming to help us.

Japan and the United States are now unwavering allies tied firmly with the bond of universal values such as freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, and have formed an alliance of hope in which our countries are working hand-in-hand to tackle the challenges the world is faced with.

Terrorism and conflicts are still not eradicated from this world, and there has been no end to the spiral where hatred creates hatred. Now, more than ever, the world needs the spirit of tolerance and the power of reconciliation. Japan and the United States, which have eradicated hatred and cultivated friendship and trust on the basis of common values, are taking responsibility for appealing to the world about the importance of tolerance and the power of reconciliation. I stated that to the world when I visited Pearl Harbor together with former President Obama at the end of last year.

Recently, the security situation around Japan have become increasingly severe, and the Japan-U.S. Alliance is becoming even more and more important. I visited the United States in February, and I, together with President Trump, communicated a clear message that the Japan-U.S. Alliance is unwavering.

In order to secure peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region founded on the bonds of the Japan-U.S. Alliance, Japan and the United States will continue to take a leading role and address the challenges confronting the world hand-in-hand.
We cannot expect hope for a strong and permanent Japan-U.S. Alliance without friendship, good will, and mutual understanding between our two countries. I am convinced that the roles of the young people who will take charge of this relationship will further expand over the next 100 years. I would like to close my congratulatory address by expressing my heartfelt hope for the continued activities and further development of the America-Japan Society."