• 
• 
• 
• 

 
On December 11, 2018, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held the seventh meeting of the Advisory Panel on Security and Defense Capabilities at the Prime Minister’s Office.
 
The Prime Minister said in his opening address,
 
“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Chairperson Mimura, Deputy Chairperson Kitaoka, and the rest of the distinguished experts for attending the six consecutive meetings of the Advisory Panel on Security and Defense Capabilities until today along with three discussion sessions with external experts and even a visit to the Self-Defense Forces, taking time out from your busy schedules, as well as participating in the intensive discussions over the short period of just three sessions.
 
Protecting the lives and peaceful livelihoods of the people is the most important responsibility of the Government. This is the primary responsibility that Japan should bear as an independent nation. In order to fulfill this responsibility thoroughly amid a drastically changing security environment, we must fundamentally strengthen our system for protecting the lives and property of the people, as well as our territorial land, sea and air, through our self-driven and autonomous efforts. At the same time, I believe that we must undertake reforms at a truly unprecedented pace compared to the past towards a defense capability which is truly necessary and lays out the foundation for our future, not a mere extension of the existing approaches, completely transitioning away from an approach that is based on the conventional separation of ground, air, and sea defense.
 
All the members of this Advisory Panel fully applied your respective viewpoints and experiences throughout the intensive discussions on the difficult challenges faced by Japan, held over this short period of time and discussed enthusiastically about the future of Japan’s defense capabilities and the direction that we should aim for. As the Prime Minister, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude for your efforts. Thank you.”