[Provisional Translation]

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended the awards ceremony for the Third Japan Venture Grand Prize, held at the Prime Minister’s Office.

The Prime Minister said in his address,

“I am overjoyed that this awards ceremony for the Third Japan Venture Grand Prize is being held with such grandeur.

The Japan Venture Grand Prize honors entrepreneurs who take on bold challenges and achieve outstanding results. CYBERDYNE Inc., selected for the grand prize this time, has fused together people, robots and IT in a way that will dramatically transform medical care and the way people live.

When President Yoshiyuki Sankai, the founder of CYBERDYNE, initially started his basic research on robot suits, there was no one who would use such a suit, nor were there experts in this field. I have heard that under these circumstances, President Sankai started the business not for the pursuit of profits, but with the ideal of contributing to people and society through his research. 

HAL, developed by CYBERDYNE, is a world-first, dream-like robot suit that helps those who can no longer walk due to an illness or injury walk using their own legs. At first, it was recognized in Japan only as nursing care equipment rather than a medical device. However, CYBERDYNE did not shirk back from this situation – instead, they first received certification for HAL in Europe, and the device became eligible for insurance coverage in Germany. It is somewhat regrettable that this became possible overseas before it was possible here in Japan. Later, HAL was recognized as a medical device in Japan, something that was long hoped for. In addition, it was approved for insurance coverage, creating a starting point for the coverage of robots under the Japanese medical insurance system.

Revolutionary technology serves as a catalyst for transforming society. I expect venture companies to play this sort of role.

I hope that the award recipients this time, including CYBERDYNE, will serve as a new force, and that many entrepreneurs will follow in your footsteps. I would like to conclude my congratulatory remarks by expressing my hope that more and more new industries will be created and that this will lead to even more enriching lifestyles for the people. Congratulations everyone.”