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On January 22, 2018, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended the award ceremony and celebration for the Seventh 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 Seventh Monodzukuri Nippon (Japan’s Manufacturing) Grand Award.

People possessing top technologies and skills have gathered from all across the country at this award ceremony, which is held once every two years. The paths that you have taken to achieve that were surely never entirely easy.

I believe you were able to overcome countless technical hurdles, and deal with various difficulties, such as financing issues and sudden disasters, thanks to the strong determination that each and every one of you feels about monodzukuri.

You have passion about making products that are eco-friendly, about revitalizing the agriculture, forest, and fisheries industries of your local communities, and about improving your skills ever further. Such passion and the hard work supported by it are the fundamental strength of Japan as a major power in manufacturing excellence. I would like to once again express my heartfelt respect.

Meanwhile, it is extremely unfortunate that instances of misconduct, including falsification of data, came to light last year in some of the companies which have lead monodzukuri efforts in Japan up until now.

The Government will strengthen its quality assurance mechanism, including an amendment to the Industrial Standardization (JIS) Act. Ultimately, whether or not we can protect the ‘Made in Japan’ brand, which is trusted around the world, depends on the efforts of the manufacturing industry itself.

Challenging times also create opportunity.

We will take this opportunity to propel monodzukuri that Japan is so proud of to new heights. I would like you to aim to be far and away the best in the world in technology, in quality, and in responses to social needs, such as those related to the environment and disaster prevention. As revolutionary innovations such as artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things (IoT) are dramatically changing business methods, that motivation will serve as a force to pioneer a new form of monodzukuri in the new era.

It is you, the people working on the front lines of monodzukuri, who can lead these efforts. You take pride in the work you do at each of your workplaces, and continue your unrelenting efforts toward improvement. I am confident that this power of human resources has been the great driving force that has opened up the future for Japan’s economy up until now and hereafter.

I would like all of you to take the lead to this end, after receiving this award. I hope that you will continue to maintain your motivation to take charge of the future of monodzukuri in Japan, and I wish you further success in your efforts.

Again, my sincere congratulations to you all today.”

Furthermore, the Prime Minister said in his address at the celebration,

“I would like to once again offer my congratulations to you.

I had a chance to observe some technologies which won the award before I entered the venue just now.

A chip that is so small that it can barely be seen is capable of detecting changes that a human cannot sense. A porcelain technique can recreate the colors used in 1,300-year-old tumulus burial mounds.

I once again felt the power of Japan’s monodzukuri, from the latest technologies to traditional techniques. These efforts that all of you have made to achieve them have been no small feat.

Today is the opening day of the ordinary session of the Diet. For the next 150 days, I will fairly frequently attend the Diet. Budget Committee meetings hold discussions lasting seven hours per day. It is not easy for both those who answer questions, as well as those who do not have the opportunity to do so. Being here in front of all of you, I feel motivated to deal with the tasks ahead. I have renewed my determination to work hard.

Last week I visited the Baltic States and some Balkan countries. These countries are seeing remarkable growth. I was accompanied by 30 companies who promoted themselves in each country. Japanese businesses have an excellent reputation in all of these countries. I reaffirmed the presence that Japan has in the world as a major power in manufacturing excellence.

I had a conversation with H.E. Mr. Aleksandar Vučić, President of the Republic of Serbia, who has travelled to Japan once to conduct a site visit at an automobile plant. The craftsmen there who were skillfully assembling automobiles apparently did not even notice that President Vučić had visited, and continued their work the entire time. He smiled as he praised them, saying that they were so diligent they did not even greet him.

Those craftsmen took pride in their monodzukuri works, and devoted themselves to their jobs. I guess that there may be some of you who have been so focused on your work that you have not noticed even when your president has come to see your workplace.

Monodzukuri in Japan has been fostered up until now by such on-site capabilities and the power of our human resources.

As a leading figure at each of your workplaces, I hope that you will continue to succeed, and at the same time, I would like you to act as a model and a great encouragement for the young people who will come after you. You have developed Japan’s monodzukuri and spread it all around the world. Now, it would be appropriate to say that Japan’s monodzukuri is truly the world’s monodzukuri. I have great hopes for the role that you will play in passing it to the next generation.

With those expectations in mind, I arranged for this modest celebration today. I hope that you will deepen your friendships with each other across your different fields despite a short period of time.

Lastly, I would like to express my deep gratitude to all of the people involved with this award, including the judges, who gave us a tremendous amount of cooperation. Snow is falling quietly outside. I hope that the capabilities you all possess for monodzukuri will see you safely home today. Again, my sincere congratulations.”