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Prime Minister Visits an Elementary School
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Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited an elementary school in Tokyo together with Ms. Eriko Yamatani, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister.
Invited to the classroom of Sixth Grade Class One, Prime Minister Abe received greetings from the school principal and student representatives. Prime Minister Abe addressed them, saying, "This is my first visit to an elementary school in about forty years. Today I am looking forward to hearing all your interesting stories and about your daily lives." Prime Minister Abe enjoyed talking with the students over a lunch of rice with seaweed and teriyaki spearfish. After enjoying conversation with students, Prime Minister Abe said, "Sometimes things go well, and sometimes they do not. At difficult times, it is important to help and encourage each other. Maintaining this friendship is essential for life. I hope each one of you will hold on passionately to your future dream." Before leaving the school, Prime Minister Abe joined in commemorative photographs with the whole class, shook hands with each student and responded to an interview. As to the purpose of his visit, Prime Minister Abe said, "Since rebuilding education is one of the major themes of my Cabinet, I wanted to visit an actual place of education. Today I had the chance to visit an elementary school, join the students for lunch and hear what they are actually thinking. The portions at lunch were bigger than I expected, but it tasted good." In an interview held afterwards, Prime Minister Abe said, "We are now facing a serious bullying issue. I will establish a system in which children can seek counseling at night and even on weekends and holidays. The funds to fulfill this counseling system have been included in the latest supplementary budget plan. To make the system easy to access, we must establish a uniform telephone number. In many families these days, both parents work. Given these circumstances, I would like to develop an 'After-school Plan for Children' to create places where children all over the country can go after classes to enrich their character and social skills through playing, studying, listening to stories, or doing crafts together with helpers from the local community. I intend to secure the necessary budget for this plan in the FY2007 budget."
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