New Year’s Reflection by Prime Minister ISHIBA Shigeru

Happy new year to one and all. 

In the oriental zodiac, 2025 is the year of the “wood snake.” The “wood” represents the strength to progress towards goals while maintaining harmony with one’s surroundings, and the “snake” has long been considered a symbol of fertility and vitality.

The previous “wood snake” year was 1965, the year Japan began the “Izanagi Boom,” and the whole country was brimming with vitality. Although Japan was not as affluent as it is today, there were smiles on everyone's faces—elderly people, young adults, and children alike—radiating energy and vitality. In keeping with the spirit of the “wood snake,” the Ishiba Administration aims to pool collective wisdom and make this year one that brings prosperity and smiles to everyone.

I will work to tackle three key policy areas to bring about happiness for all citizens. 

First, we will address issues in diplomacy and security. In light of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, North Korea’s repeated missile launches, and other challenges, the international state of affairs surrounding Japan is severe and complex. Against this backdrop, we will protect Japan’s interests by taking diplomacy and defense as two sides of the same coin. We will also work to improve the living and working environments as well as the treatment of Self-Defense Forces personnel, who form the central core of our defense capabilities.  

Second, we will restore vitality to Japan as a whole. The “silent contingency” of the serious decline in our population has resulted in diminishing vitality for both our regions and our economy. By setting Regional Revitalization 2.0 into motion, we will rectify the excessive concentration in Tokyo and build a Japan where attractive regions and cities are interconnected and where the happiness of a diverse public can be realized. Furthermore, we will transition to a growth-driven economy led by wage increases and investment by encouraging wage increases and capital investment in Japan, in order for people to feel in tangible ways that their lives have become prosperous. Additionally, we will work to build up a social security system that provides the public with peace of mind well into the future.

Third, we will address public security issues and natural disasters. Insofar as Japan is one of the most disaster-prone countries, we will make the utmost possible preparations for natural disasters, which can occur at any time. We will also move forward steadily in our work to establishing the Disaster Management Agency by the end of fiscal year 2026. Furthermore, we will protect people’s lives from harm caused by robberies or fraud involving so-called “shady part-time jobs.” 

The Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, will begin in April. We hope that many people will visit and feel for themselves the hope held for the society of the future. 

This year as well, I will sincerely and humbly take on issues in order to protect the safety and security of the people, taking the coalition between the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito as the foundation while also listening carefully to the views of other parties, enabling the broadest possible agreement to emerge. 

I ask for the public’s further understanding and cooperation.

I hope most sincerely that 2025 is a magnificent year for one and all.