• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 
• 
• 

[Provisional Translation]

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hosted a summit meeting and other events with the Rt. Hon. Bill English, Prime Minister of New Zealand, at the Prime Minister's Office.

The two leaders attended a salute and guard of honor ceremony, followed by a summit meeting. Thereafter, the leaders held an exchange of documents and a joint press announcement.

Finally, the Prime Minister hosted a banquet at the Prime Minister's Official Residence, and said in his address,

"I would like to extend my heartfelt welcome to Prime Minister English and Mrs. English on their visit to Japan. When we think of New Zealand, we of course think of rugby. Needless to say, the All Blacks, New Zealand's national rugby team, are the strongest team in the world and have won the last two Rugby World Cups in succession. Last week I went to Kyoto to take part in the pool draw for the Rugby World Cup 2019, which will take place in Tokyo. I made a draw myself and had only one wish: please let us not be cast in the same group as New Zealand.

I do not know whether my wish was granted but, as it turned out, Japan and New Zealand are in different groups. There are still two years until the World Cup. I hope that the Japan team will practice even harder and, if possible, meet New Zealand in the final match. Earlier, I was delighted to hear from Prime Minister English that next year the All Blacks will be sent to Japan. I hope that next year will prove to be a preliminary skirmish between our two teams before the World Cup final.

I would like to present this commemorative ball to Prime Minister English, a rugby player himself, with the hope that we will be able to watch the final match together.

The exchanges between the peoples of Japan and New Zealand are also very lively. Every year, 100,000 Japanese people visit New Zealand. Many Japanese people visit the so-called sacred spots of films, that is, locations where films such as the Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Last Samurai were shot, and there are also 10,000 Japanese exchange students in New Zealand. More than 20,000 people in New Zealand are studying the Japanese language. Further, every year 250 young people from New Zealand come to Japan through the JET Programme, and are active in English education and cultural exchange. I am very pleased that such vigorous exchanges between our peoples have become the foundation of our strong bilateral ties.

We have invited to today's banquet leaders who are supporting the invaluable friendly relations between our two countries in a range of areas, including politics, the economy, academia, and sports. Thanks to all of you, we have our current bilateral relationship. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all of you and ask for your continued support for the further deepening of the relationship.

I would now like to raise a toast to the continued health and success of Prime Minister English and Mrs. English, and all those in attendance today, and to the further development of the partnership between Japan and New Zealand."