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On October 27, 2017, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended the Mt. Fuji Dialogue Welcome Reception held in Tokyo.

The Prime Minister said in his address,

“I am delighted that the Mt. Fuji Dialogue is being held in such magnificent fashion. You have selected a great day for it. The weather is absolutely perfect. Actually it had been quite difficult to predict whether I would be able to attend this event in good spirits after the election, but fortunately I am able to attend with a smile on my face.

At this meeting, experts, company executives, and business people representing Japan and the United States are gathered together for a lively discussion on the shared issues of Japan and the United States. This Mt. Fuji Dialogue initiative is extremely beneficial for building a robust and unwavering Japan-U.S. relationship. I want to express my heartfelt respect for the hard work of everyone involved in this event, including the Japan Center for Economic Research and the Japan Institute of International Affairs.

The Japan-U.S. relationship is deepening in a variety of fields, including politics, economy, and security. The basis of that relationship is friendly relations and mutual understanding between people. The opportunity offered by the Mt. Fuji Dialogue for participants from Japan and the United States to have exchanges in a wide range of fields is extremely important for the future of the Japan-U.S. relationship.

Next month, on November 5, President Trump will soon visit Japan. Japan will be the first stop on his tour of Asia. I hope to offer President Trump and the First Lady, Melania, a grand welcome for their first visit to Japan. If the weather and their schedule allow, President Trump and I will play a game of golf once again. Who the winner is will be a state secret of our two countries. I hope to have a frank discussion with President Trump on the issues facing the international community, including North Korea, with the security environment in the region further increasing in severity. I also hope to coordinate in the lead-up to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting in Viet Nam, and the East Asia Summit in the Philippines. Concerning North Korea, Japan has consistently supported the position of President Trump that all options remain on the table. There is some worry about applying that much pressure on North Korea and whether this will not lead to war. Of course, I do not wish for a conflict. I don’t think there is anyone in the world who wishes there will be a conflict. However, dialogue with North Korea for the sake of dialogue is meaningless. Over the past 20 years, we have continued to make efforts to hold dialogue. Nevertheless, in the cases of both the Agreed Framework of 1994 and the agreement among the six parties of 2005, North Korea promised to abandon nuclear weapons and then betrayed those promises, and used them to buy time for the development of nuclear weapons and missiles. North Korea has a diligent labor force and a wealth of natural resources. If it follows a correct path, it should be able to see dramatic economic growth. However, it will not have a bright future without resolving the nuclear or missile issues, or the abduction issue.

During President Trump’s visit to Japan, the President will meet with the families of abductees. Together with me we will hear the stories of the families, and we will confirm that Japan and the United States will cooperate to resolve the abduction issue. We must exert maximum pressure and create a situation in which the North Korean side will ask us to hold dialogue in exchange for changing their policies.

An alliance that allows both sides to help each other will strengthen the bonds of that alliance. Based on the bonds of the Japan-U.S. Alliance, our two countries will continue to take a leading role in securing peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region and address global issues hand-in-hand.
 
I hope that everyone here will have a lively discussion during this Mt. Fuji Dialogue on how to further strengthen the Japan-U.S. Alliance and contribute to world peace and prosperity. I also hope that amongst yourselves you will further deepen the bonds of friendship between Japan and the United States. 

Although the weather tomorrow may not be very good, I hope that the participants who have come from the United States wishing for the great success of this Mt. Fuji Dialogue will enjoy Japan. In closing, I would like to express my hope for the tremendous success of this dialogue.”