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[Provisional Translation]

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended the Sixth Asian Business Summit Reception, held in Tokyo.

In his address, the Prime Minister said,

“I want to truly congratulate all of you for today’s successful meeting of the Asian Business Summit.

When this Summit was first held five years ago, the economies of countries around the world were stalling in the midst of a global financial crisis. It was Asia that illuminated the global economy during those dark and difficult times.

Growth in Asia no longer just influences Asia – it is changing the world. That is the potential of the Asian region. The main players are everyone in the private sector. Your innovative actions will pioneer a new future.

A moment ago, I received a joint statement. I can feel the resolve in this document to take a firm look at Asian issues and lead the world. I am of the same mindset entirely, so I am very encouraged by this. I want the public and private sector to work together to enrich the future of Asia.

Asia contains diverse politics, cultures, people and religions. The dynamism of Asia is in that diversity. Today’s meeting too is full of dynamism. This region is the most vibrant in the world, and I feel excited when I think about an Asia in which people, goods, and services move freely.

We must create a free, fair, and dynamic economic zone in Asia, so that our diverse companies will be able to transcend borders to undertake new challenges. We share the same goal for the future.

On the other hand, looking ahead to the future, Asia will face many issues such as energy problems, environmental constraints, and societies with an aging population and a falling birthrate. For better or worse, Japan has been forced to tackle these issues quite early. As a result of that, we have set the global standard for energy-saving technology, created energy technology such as high-efficiency coal-fired power generation technology, and developed cutting-edge medical technology. I want to make use of these achievements to contribute to efforts across Asia to overcome every type of issue, including those related to technology, human resources, and funding.

For instance, in the field of energy, we are promoting training on the scale of around 5,000 people in Asia over the next five years. On the capital side, we are expanding not only financing but also investment, to attract diverse funding to Asia. I believe that cooperation with Japan will prime the countries of Asia for their own homegrown innovation.

Japan is supporting your activities to the maximum extent. I want to join with all of you to take Asia to the next stage.”