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Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended the award ceremony and celebration for the Prime Minister's Prize in the Monodzukuri Nippon Grand Award held at the Prime Minister's Office.

The Prime Minister said in his address at the award ceremony,

"I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to the recipients of the Fifth Monodzukuri Nippon Grand Award.
The Abe administration's top priority is economic revitalization and Japan's economy is being supported by the strength of Japan's monodzukuri (manufacturing), which is the best in the world.
When travelling around the country and seeing the monodzukuri sites, I have been strongly impressed by the dedication and ingenuity of those working at the sites.
However, due to the many years of deflation and the excessive appreciation of the yen, Japan's monodzukuri industry has not been able to demonstrate its true potential.
My aim is to change this trend and restore confidence that Japan can once again take center stage in the world, by implementing policies which are different from the past in both their scope and reach.
I will execute the third arrow, the growth strategy, and ensure that everyone throughout Japan experiences the growth firsthand. In addition, the monodzukuri subsidies have been brought back, which will be given out to approximately 10,000 companies in Japan. Furthermore, this autumn, bold tax breaks will be available for capital investment. I will make every effort to bring vitality to the monodzukuri sites across the country.
The logo for the Monodzukuri Nippon Grand Award that is on your medal, a spear that is in the Kojiki, is a tribute to the beginning of monodzukuri, which, as legend has it, started with the Ame-no-nuhoko spear that created Japan.    
The recipients of the Fifth Monodzukuri Nippon Grand Award are the front-runners who will spearhead the Japanese economy from the monodzukuri sites. You are the spear that constitutes the foundation of Japan. I ask for your continued efforts to set the example for monodzukuri in Japan."