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Commemorative Ceremony for the Inauguration of the Ministry of Defense
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Photographed by the Ministry of Defense
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Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended the commemorative ceremony for the inauguration of the Ministry of Defense held at the Ministry's compound.
Prior to the ceremony, at the Prime Minister's Official Residence Prime Minister Abe delivered a letter of appointment to Mr. Fumio Kyuma, who assumed the post of the Minister of Defense with the transition of the Defense Agency to the Ministry of Defense that day. During the ceremony, Prime Minister received the salute of a guard of honor, and afterwards delivered an address in which he said, "The latest law for the transition of the Defense Agency into a ministry was enacted with the approval of more than 90 percent of the Diet members in both Houses. This is certainly the fruit of the long-standing efforts by all the defense officials and our predecessors who have devoted themselves to the noble mission of national defense. "Even at this moment, the members of the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) are engaged in demanding duties in Iraq, the Golan Heights, at sea on the Indian Ocean, and on far-off isolated islands, as well as at SDF bases and stations. I feel proud of the activities of each and every SDF member, and have great expectations for their further endeavors."
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