Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended a Regular General Meeting of the National Association of Chairpersons of City Councils held in Tokyo.

The Prime Minister said in his congratulatory address,

"My name is Shinzo Abe, and I am the Prime Minister of Japan. I would like to just make some brief remarks on the occasion of the 89th Regular General Meeting of the National Association of Chairpersons of City Councils.
I would like to express my sincere respect to you, the chairpersons of city councils, for putting in hard work every day to further develop your local communities as representatives of the people in your regions, and for continuing to support the reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake in various ways.
Since the inauguration of the Abe Cabinet, I have made every effort to bring back vitality to Japan, as well as to restore a Japanese society in which young people can have hope in the future. To this end, I have set out three prongs aimed at rebuilding the Japanese economy - namely, monetary policy, fiscal policy, and growth strategy. We are now working in full swing on the third prong, the growth strategy.
A key factor in this respect is that 'There will be no vitalization of Japan without the vitalization of regional communities.' The growth strategy must be designed to contribute to the development of local communities. To create highly attractive communities, it is important that regions create communities with distinctive traits based on their own ideas, utilizing the original ingenuity of each region. In this sense, I have observed a number of very encouraging initiatives in recent days.
In Beppu City in Oita Prefecture, which I visited last weekend, taking advantage of the local hot spring, local community members have gotten together to hold a Hot Spring Expo, or 'ONPAKU,' which has attracted tourists to the City. Also, a small business in the area has developed a power generation system which utilizes the heat and steam from the hot spring. In Kitsuki City, ambitious and forward-thinking initiatives were also being undertaken. For example, a company that has newly entered the agricultural industry from the construction industry has used abandoned arable land to increase revenues through sixth industrialization.
Furthermore, in Saga and Fukuoka Prefectures, I witnessed revolutionary cancer treatment using heavy ion beams as well as regenerative medicine that uses stem cells extracted from baby teeth - both world-leading medical technologies.
And yesterday, I observed the ingenious initiatives of Yokohama City, which has reduced the number of children on childcare waiting lists to zero.
These visits have made me realize that goals can be accomplished if you put your mind to it, and have reinforced for me the importance of pooling wisdom and embarking on challenges. The Abe administration will keep on supporting these proactive community-based initiatives.
We will establish a growth strategy which will carry out seamless economic measures, fully support efforts to generate dynamism and vitality in local communities, and continue to contribute to the revitalization of local economies.
With regard to decentralization reform, Government-wide efforts will be made to transfer authority and advance regulatory reform. I hope you will continue to take the lead in your communities and exert your abilities to the fullest. In addition, I would once again like to ask for your continued support for the areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and for your cooperation on Government policies.
With that, I would like to end my remarks to the 89th Regular General Meeting of the National Association of Chairpersons of City Councils by extending my best wishes to everyone in attendance today."