New Year’s Reflection by Prime Minister TAKAICHI Sanae

Happy new year to all.

This year we mark the passage of exactly a century since the Showa Era began.

“Observing the mountains cloaked in new colors,
I ponder how I should govern.”

This poem, written by Emperor Showa, was recited at the first Ceremony of the Utakai Hajime (Imperial New Year's Poetry Reading) held after His Majesty acceded to the Imperial throne.

The Showa Era was a time when Japan experienced changes at an unprecedented scale, including the war, the end of the war, reconstruction, and rapid economic growth. The way Emperor Showa poetically evokes the changing colors of the mountain is as if he were foretelling the onset of a tumultuous era.

Now in the Reiwa Era, both Japan and the world at large are encountering significant changes.

Japan finds itself confronting a decline in our population, a situation we can rightfully deem a quiet emergency; a complete turnabout from our longstanding deflation to the rising prices currently confounding people nationwide; and the most severe and complex security environment of the postwar era. Meanwhile, if we survey the state of world affairs, we find that the free and open international order that we have become so accustomed to is now wavering, and hegemonistic movements are gaining strength while political and economic uncertainty is intensifying.                                                                                                

Ever since I assumed the office of prime minister last October, the Takaichi Cabinet, filled with the determination to press ahead tenaciously under any circumstances, has worked resolutely for the sake of our nation and the Japanese people, with a view to building a robust economy, turning people's unease and apprehension over their current lives and the future into hope. We have also endeavored to address the challenges that affect the international community and restore Japanese diplomacy that flourishes on the world's center stage.

Above all, we have placed the highest priority on responding to the rising prices affecting people all around the country. During last year’s extraordinary session of the Diet, my administration succeeded in fulfilling the pledges we made to the public by passing the supplementary budget. Moreover, grounded in our approach of responsible and proactive public finances, the Takaichi administration has been able to set forth a certain direction toward building a robust economy and ensuring strong diplomacy and security.

I have also been working actively to raise Japan’s profile in the international community through numerous diplomatic occasions, including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-related Summit Meetings, the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) Leaders Meeting, the Japan-U.S. Summit Meeting, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting, the G20 Summit, and the Summit of the "Central Asia plus Japan" Dialogue.

But the Takaichi Cabinet has only just begun its work, and the challenges this administration must tackle as we go forward are stacked very high indeed.

“History holds the secrets of the future.”

These are the words of OKAKURA Tenshin, the man who introduced Japanese art to the world.

The anticipation that tomorrow will be better than today is a kind of hope that people felt through much of the Showa Era. Bolstered by a strong and unwavering belief in the latent power and vitality of Japan and the Japanese people, I want to learn from the wisdom and the efforts of those who came before us, who lived in the days of momentous change in the Showa Era, overcoming the war and numerous disasters to lay the foundation for the Japan of the present day. Moreover, I will not fear change, and I will decisively push through necessary reforms.

Eighteen-year-olds who will cast their first vote this year as well as newborn babies will both shape the next era. I want them to have faith in the future of Japan, and I want them to keep a sense of hope alive in their hearts. I believe that we who have been entrusted with the present era have a responsibility to make the Japanese archipelago stronger and more prosperous and pass that on to the next generation.

I make a New Year’s pledge to the Japanese people to make the Japanese archipelago stronger and more prosperous, and to give rise to hope in our country by doing so.

I extend my heartfelt wishes for 2026 to be a splendid year full of happiness for each of you.