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On April 8, 2019, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended the Liaison Meeting of the Government and Ruling Parties at the Prime Minister’s Office.
 
The Prime Minister said in his opening address,
 
“Yesterday, the first casting and counting of votes was held for the nationwide local elections. Once again, I express my profound gratitude to everyone who traveled around Japan, offering their support in the recent elections. We take the results of the elections solemnly and will exert every effort with the determination to win the second half of the race.     
 
On April 1, the Government decided that ‘Reiwa’ will be the name of the new era, which is the 248th one. The name is taken from a Japanese work for the first time in history and refers to the introduction of a collection of 32 poems on plum blossoms in the Manyoshu. Just as the plum blossoms announce the arrival of spring after the harsh cold of winter and bloom splendidly in all their glory, all Japanese will be able to make their own blossoms come into full bloom, together with their hopes for tomorrow. We decided on ‘Reiwa’ with the hope that Japan will be just such a nation. On May 1, His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince will accede to the Imperial throne, and this new era name will be used from that day forward. It is my sincere wish that this new era name will be widely accepted by the public and take root deeply within the daily lives of the Japanese people. The Government is taking all possible measures to prepare for this historic succession to the Imperial throne to take place smoothly, and for the Japanese people to celebrate the day with one accord, while reflecting on the Heisei era.
 
Thanks to your efforts, the budget for the new fiscal year was passed in the Diet at the end of last month. I would like to express my gratitude for all your work. I consistently advocated that the early passage of the budget itself was the most important stimulus for the economy. Amidst the growing uncertainty in the global economy, I intend to take all possible measures to manage our economy by swiftly executing this budget as well as implementing a series of measures worth 2 trillion yen pursuant to the consumption tax increase.  
 
At the same time, this budget is a significant step to transform Japan’s social security system to one that is oriented to all generations, making early childhood education and childcare free, increasing the amount of pension and further reducing the long-term care insurance premiums for the elderly. In the second half of the Diet session, I intend for all the Cabinet members to solemnly fulfill their duties, providing thorough explanations in the Diet, with the aim to pass important bills including the one to make early childhood education and childcare free and the one to prevent child abuse. I would like to ask for your continued support in this regard.
 
Circumstances permitting, I am scheduled to visit France, Italy, Slovakia, Brussels, the United States, and Canada from April 22 to 29. Through this trip, I intend to confirm our close cooperation towards the success of the G20 (Summit on Financial Markets and the World Economy) Osaka Summit, and further strengthen the cooperation with each country, through bilateral meetings with respective leaders of the G7, the Visegrad Group (V4) plus Japan Summit Meeting in Slovakia, and the Japan-EU Summit Meeting in Brussels.
 
I wish to carve out the new era of ‘Reiwa’ through continuing our concerted efforts between the Government and the ruling parties to steadily advance our policies in this fiscal year. I would like to ask for your support and cooperation.”