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On October 4, 2018, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended the ASEAN-Japan Music Festival held in Tokyo.
 
The Prime Minister said in his opening address,
 
“I am honored to observe that, in the gracious presence of Their Imperial Highnesses Prince and Princess Akishino, the second ASEAN-Japan Music Festival is being held today in such magnificent fashion, following on from the first ASEAN-Japan Music Festival five years ago.
 
This year is a commemorative year that marks the 45th anniversary of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation. Top-class artists from ASEAN member states are participating in this concert that celebrates this anniversary. Tonight, you will get to enjoy music of various genres, ranging from pop, rock, rhythm and blues (R&B) to traditional folk music.     
 
This concert has been made possible thanks to the significant contributions made by Mr. Ryotaro Sugi, Special Ambassador for Japan and ASEAN, who has engaged tirelessly in cultural exchanges all over the world, including Asia. This excellent music festival also would not have been possible without the participation of top artists from Japan and ASEAN member states. I would like to sincerely thank everyone involved in the preparations for today, including Ambassador Sugi and all of the artists participating tonight.
 
The artists from ASEAN member states will take this opportunity of their visit to Japan to sightsee various areas of Tokyo. At a later date, scenes from their sightseeing and today’s music festival are to be broadcast on TV and through social media in each country. I would like to ask all of you to promote the charms of Japan as much as possible, looking ahead to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.     
 
Music is a universal language. I look forward to the day when, as a result of this music festival, many Japanese people are humming songs from ASEAN member states and Japanese songs are played in street corners in each of the ASEAN member states.
 
I hope that the wonderful power of music will further deepen the ties between Japan and ASEAN, which are heart-to-heart partners. With this hope, I would like to close my remarks. This brings an end to the formalities, and I now invite you to enjoy the rest of this evening. Thank you very much.”