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On August 29, 2018, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe received a courtesy call from the Maritime Safety & Security Policy Program Participants at the Prime Minister's Office.
 
The Prime Minister said in his address,
 
“I would like to welcome to the Prime Minister’s Office all of you who completed the Maritime Safety and Security Policy Program as the third generation students as well as those alumni who are actively engaged in relevant operations in your respective regions.
 
Japan and your countries are both maritime nations, and your countries and Japan as well as the respective countries are also connected with each other. At the same time, our countries are also connected to other countries in the world through the ocean.
 
As maritime nations, we benefit from “sea harvest.” At the same time, the ocean generates various fortunes as a means of transport. Meanwhile, it sometimes causes major natural disasters such as tsunami. Occasionally, large-scale disasters, including typhoon occur, and it is your important mission to protect people from these disasters. At the same time, there are regrettably people who misuse the ocean such as smugglers and stowaways.         
 
As maritime states and to develop as maritime states, it is vital that we protect people from these disasters while protecting the safety and security of the ocean.
 
I hope that you will protect a free and open maritime order based on the rule of law, and based on this common principle, protect the ocean and peace as well as safeguard the further development and prosperity of your respective maritime nations, by making full use of the knowledge you have acquired from the Maritime Safety and Security Policy Program, and thoroughly fulfilling your roles and responsibilities by taking advantage of the network of friends you have cultivated during this one year, or shall I say friendship of the ocean.  
 
In closing, I wish you all great success in your home countries and that your friendship of the ocean will be everlasting.”