• 

 
On November 20, 2019, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a press conference at the Prime Minister’s Office.
 
With regard to hitting the milestone of the longest tenure as Prime Minister, the Prime Minister said,
 
“There used to be a change of administration every year, including the first Abe administration, and important policy issues were thus left un-tackled. The voice of the people demanded that politics be stabilize. I am the one who created the root cause of that. Building on my deep reflection on the short-lived first Abe administration, I have since exerted every effort every day to stabilize the politics of Japan. During this period, we have made great efforts day by day to implement the policies that we have promised, with strong support from the public, shown at the six consecutive national elections of both the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors. I believe that I am able to welcome this day thanks to those daily efforts.
 
There are still close to two years remaining of my term as President of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan (LDP). As I reflect on the weight of this responsibility, I intend to devote every effort to policy issues, never forgetting the sense of discipline I had when I first started, which I compare to walking on thin ice.
 
There are several challenges ahead of us such as the exit from deflation, the declining birthrate and aging society, which is our most important issue, the total reassessment of Japan’s postwar diplomacy, and, beyond that, the amendments to the Constitution. Going forward, I aim to continue tackling the trials of shaping the new era of Reiwa with the spirit of a challenger.”
 
Regarding the cherry blossom viewing party, the Prime Minister said,
 
“That is something for the public to judge, but I would like to address the points which have been raised at the forthcoming Diet debate. As there are various points and questions, I would like to address them at the forthcoming plenary session of the Diet.”