(On the successor to Chairperson Okonogi)
 
After the cabinet meeting this morning, Chairperson Okonogi tendered a letter of resignation to run for the mayoral election of Yokohama City slated for August, and I accepted his resignation. I asked Mr. TANAHASHI Yasufumi to succeed his position. Mr. Tanahashi committed himself to performing duties as Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy and Minister of State for Food Safety and is currently tackling digitalization and regulatory reforms as the Chairperson of the Headquarters for Promoting Administrative Reform, and I regarded his experience as important. The Cabinet’s highest priority is to secure the safety and security of the people, and we have responded to natural disasters and carried out other swift measures to defend the lives and assets of the citizens to the very end, thereby protecting their safety and security. The relevant organizations have worked together to date to make elaborate preparations for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, and therefore, I believe that we will be fully prepared to overcome challenges associated with the Games.