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Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hosted a cherry blossom viewing party at Shinjuku Gyoen in Tokyo. About 12,000 guests attended, including leading figures from the culture and art world as well as the sports world.

Standing before the guests, the Prime Minister said in his address,

"A major mission of the Abe administration is to reconstruct Tohoku. I presume that in Tohoku, cherry blossoms should be reaching full bloom from around this time onwards. In January, I visited Indonesia.
Many young people in Indonesia feel affection for Japan. And as a show of support for the Japanese people who are working hard amid their struggles in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake, these young people in Indonesia who feel affection for Japan and are studying the Japanese language have sent to Japan a song called 'Sakura yo' that they have created and sung.
The lyrics of the song contain the following phrases: 'Bloom proudly, o cherry tree, bloom in the heart of Japan' and 'Bloom proudly, o Japan, bloom in the heart of the world.'
My intention is that, the Abe administration will continue to make every effort to ensure that Japan blooms in the center of the world."

The Prime Minister then spent about an hour touring the garden with guests, shaking hands with people, and joining in commemorative photographs.