[Provisional Translation]

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended the awards ceremony for the “Capture the Best Japan” G7 Japan 2016 Ise-Shima Photography Contest at the Prime Minister’s Office.

The Prime Minister said in his address,
“The Ise-Shima Summit will be held in May this year. I intend to make this an opportunity to share with the world the appeal of Japan’s ‘furusato,’ or heartland, a place dear to many, away from the bustling cities.
To that end, through the photographs that everyone here has taken, I would like to share with the world leaders genuine and life-sized depictions of the charms of each region of Japan. This was the thinking behind the holding of the photography contest.
The judges exhibited great passion in selecting work from the over 17,000 pieces that were submitted. I would like to offer my heartfelt gratitude for that.
Each work demonstrates the varied charms of Japan, from our country’s beautiful nature, to our rich culture, and our traditions. It was extremely difficult to select the Prime Minister's Awards. I have chosen Mr. Yo Iwata’s picture showing the majesty of the Meotoiwa (wedded rocks) in Mie, Ms. Fumi Komata’s picture of a young man dancing gallantly at Nanakuri Shrine in Nagano, Mr. Eiji Nakane’s picture showing the dreamy nature of Suigo Itako Ayame Park in Ibaraki, and Ms. Aya Ebihara’s picture of sleeping Tokyo children who appear to have been worn out from playing. Each work communicates the charms that Japan can proudly bear before the world, including the long history of our country, its beauty, and its warmth.
I want to thoroughly pass on to the next generation the beautiful nature and traditions of our furusato, as well as the calm days of the people living in them, which is captured in all of your works. To that end, in the midst of the beautiful nature of Ise-Shima, I hope to talk extensively with other leaders during the Summit about peace and prosperity in Japan and the rest of the world.
I hope that with your cooperation, I will be able to lead the Ise-Shima Summit to success.
You have all submitted such wonderful work. The leaders of the world do not have time to travel at length around Japan, but I hope that by looking at all of your pictures, by seeing these photographs that have each captured the beauty and life of Japan, they will be able to experience part of what makes Japan so appealing. I want to again express my regards for all of the winners today, and congratulate you all from the bottom of my heart. Congratulations.”