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Prime Minister Visits Akita Prefecture
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Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a visit to Akita Prefecture.
First, Prime Minister Abe visited a shopping arcade that is striving to vitalize the local economy by actively collaborating with a fireworks festival held in the community. He also enjoyed a conversation with people running shops in the arcade and volunteers who work in spaces where people can meet to exchange ideas on how to restore local vitality. Next, Prime Minister visited a farming household which grows spinach with a flavor enhanced by the cold local temperatures and asparagus cultured with articulated techniques. The household is actively involved in the training of start-up farmers, accepting trainees in a frontier program for development of agricultural human resources. In the afternoon, Prime Minister Abe visited a sake brewery that has been producing rice liquor since the Taisho Period of the early 20th century. In an interview that followed, Prime Minister Abe explained the purposes of the visit by saying, "The economy is on a smooth track to recovery, but some areas are still facing uphill battles. Therefore I decided to visit some of these areas to listen to the firsthand accounts of people who are striving in the local communities." He further said that, "After listening to people who are exploring their communities' valuable assets, famous fireworks for instance, and seeking ways to make them profitable, I am convinced that the direction we are taking to revitalize local communities, in which the government supports ideas raised by residents of local communities, instead of putting forward ideas to them, is the right one."
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