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On November 27, 2019, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended the National Congress of Town and Village Mayors held in Tokyo.
 
The Prime Minister said in his opening address,
 
“Today, I have joined the National Congress of Town and Village Mayors, which is very lively. I am also deeply moved by the encouraging applause you have given me. I have renewed my resolve to fulfill your expectations. I thought that the people in the front were clapping very hard, and they turned out to be from Yamaguchi Prefecture. Today, they are taking seats among the block of delegates from Tohoku; I would like to express my sincere appreciation to this generous treatment by everyone from Tohoku.
 
I once again extend my congratulations for the successful opening of the National Congress of Town and Village Mayors today in such a magnificent manner. My hometown was a small town, once called Yuya-cho, surrounded by the mountains and beautiful seas of the Sanin region. Every time I go abroad on a work trip, I lift the window blinds on the plane as it approaches Japan on the way back, and look at the view of Japan spread out before my eyes. Looking at the beautiful landscape of Japan, which is surrounded by the sea and lined with green mountains makes me feel ‘this is our country and I have come home.’ It is Japanese towns and villages, which you are representing, that preserve this beautiful nature and environment, protect culture and traditions, and maintain beautiful people-to-people ties. I would like to express my most heartfelt respect to all of you who have carried that pride throughout your lives. You are the ones that are making efforts every day for the development of local communities and the improvement of the welfare of the residents, at the forefront of local governments.
 
This year, we have once again faced a series of major natural disasters in regions throughout Japan, such as typhoons, earthquakes, heavy rains and record-breaking storms. I express my condolences for the people who have lost their lives, and extend my sympathies to everyone who has been affected by these disasters. We recently compiled a policy package towards the rebuilding of lives and ‘nariwai’ (occupations and livelihoods that sustain people’s everyday lives) of those who were affected by the series of typhoon disasters. As the first step to implement this policy package, we have decided to disburse over 130 billion yen of contingency funds. Moreover, we will formulate a supplementary budget to provide seamless support for recovery and reconstruction in the affected areas, and further strengthen efforts to build national resilience, based on the issues and lessons drawn from the recent disasters.
 
Last month, we made early childhood education and childcare free for all children from ages 3 to 5. We will also make higher education for those children truly in need free of charge from April next year. We will boldly develop the blue print of a social security system that can bring peace of mind to all generations from children to the elderly, and which is befitting of the Reiwa era.
 
Japan will not have vitality unless its regions do. The Abe Cabinet has provided strong support for the creative and innovative initiatives of local communities, through various means including the 100-billion-yen Regional Revitalization Promotion Grant. Regional revitalization has thereby started progressing significantly. For example, Niigata Prefecture’s Awashimaura Village, located in the Sea of Japan and with a population of less than 400 people, started the Awashima Shiokaze Exchange School Program in FY2013, under which it accepts elementary and junior high school students from outside the island, who wish to enroll or transfer to the village’s schools. To date, 73 elementary and junior high school students have studied with this program while experiencing the island’s rich nature and lifestyle. Moreover, all of the 15 staff members supporting this program are those who have relocated from outside the island, such as Regional Vitalization Cooperation Volunteers. This initiative has become not only a measure to revitalize the local economy but also a countermeasure to population decline. To expand such trends across the whole of Japan, we will continue to raise high the flag of regional revitalization, and put our utmost efforts into creating vitality in each region going forward.
 
Next year, the Olympic Torch Relay will finally commence from Fukushima Prefecture, and the Olympic and Paralympic Games will be held. As the whole of Japan is filled with a sense of dynamism for the future, we intend to tackle bold reforms with the spirit of a challenger in all policy areas or fields, without being constrained by conventional thinking.
 
Going forward, I hope that all the town and village mayors will continue to stand at the forefront as the leaders of local communities, and exert your abilities to the fullest for the development of your town and villages. At the same time, I ask for your understanding in regard to the policies that the Government is promoting.
 
I would like to conclude my address by extending my best wishes for the further development of the National Congress of Town and Village Mayors, and the success of everyone in attendance today.”