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On February 10, 2018 (local time), Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited PyeongChang and Gangneung in the Republic of Korea (ROK).

Prime Minister Abe offered words of encouragement to Japanese athletes at the PyeongChang and Gangneung Olympic Villages. The Prime Minister attended a reception hosted by the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) and others, and then visited the Tokyo 2020 Japan House in Gangneung.

Lastly, the Prime Minister watched a women’s ice hockey event (Japan versus Sweden).

When attending the reception hosted by the JOC and others, the Prime Minister said,

“I am delighted to be able to participate in this reception today, where people supporting the Olympic Games and the sporting world in Japan are gathered.

The PyeongChang Olympics commenced yesterday, and I attended the Opening Ceremony. I would like to express my respect to President Bach of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and all of the parties involved, and express my hope that these Games will be a success.

There are great expectations that Japanese athletes will win medals in the snow- and ice-based events of these Games. Earlier, I offered words of encouragement to Japanese athletes at the Olympic Villages. The sight of athletes giving their all for their competitions inspires and gives courage to everyone. There are children who see their future selves in the athletes with excitement, as well as people from disaster-affected areas who cheer the athletes on in front of their televisions by making their voice hoarse. Their feelings will carry on from these PyeongChang Olympic Games to the Tokyo Olympic Games to be held two and a half years from now.

The Tokyo Games will be a festive event for all of Japan. Through Host Towns, everyone in Japan will be connected with the world. We aim to have an Olympic Games that will allow people all over the world to discover the many charms throughout Japan. Furthermore, we are steadily implementing Sport for Tomorrow, which I pledged to the world in 2013, in order to promote the value of sports to 10 million people. We can improve our physical and mental wellbeing and contribute toward the realization of a peaceful and better world by overcoming various differences such as culture and nationality, through sports. This is the ideal form of the Olympics and the philosophy of Olympism as proposed by the Baron de Coubertin, an advocate for the modern Olympics. The Tokyo Games that advance these initiatives will not only be a safe, secure, and smooth Olympic Games, but also a Games that will realize the spirit of Olympism to the maximum extent. With the assistance of everyone here today, I hope to achieve the best possible Olympic Games and welcome people from all over the world.

I would like to once again express my respect to everyone who has put in so much effort for the success of these PyeongChang Olympic Games.

As President Takeda mentioned a moment ago, moreover we have here an exhibit showing the beautiful landscapes of Hokkaido and Sapporo which aims to host the Winter Games. Please take a close look at it. We are also joined here by IOC members who I hope will support us.

In any event, I would like to close my remarks by wishing that these PyeongChang Olympic Games will be a success and will inspire and give courage to many people all around the globe, and that we will have a more peaceful world.”