Thursday, May 21, 2009

The Prime Minister Delivers Speech at the Dinner for the International Conference on The Future of Asia

Prime Minister Taro Aso delivered a speech entitled "Overcoming the Economic Crisis to Rekindle a Rapidly Developing Asia" at the dinner for the 15th International Conference on The Future of Asia held by a newspaper company at a hotel in Tokyo.

In the speech, Prime Minister Aso urged advancing efforts in the following three main areas to elicit the latent potential and ensure prosperity in Asia, explaining specific efforts in the respective areas. Those three areas are: (i) responses to the economic and financial crisis through appropriate macroeconomic policies and measures to address the financial markets; (ii) implementation of an economic growth initiative from a mid- to long-term viewpoint; and (iii) responses to address cross-border issues such as environmental problems, health and sanitation challenges, terrorism and piracy as well as security issues so that people can go about their daily activities in safety and peace of mind.

In conclusion, Prime Minister Aso said, "I hold the concept of 'Peace and Happiness through Economic Prosperity and Democracy' as my political conviction. Providing freedom of choice to each individual makes the stability and prosperity of society even more solid. In Asia as well, the happiness of the citizens in countries following that same type of path seems to be unfailingly increasing. Japan will support friends who walk that same road and make efforts towards those ends."

Related Link

• Speech by H.E. Mr. Taro Aso, Prime Minister of Japan
  on the Occasion of the 15th International Conference on The Future of Asia
  "Overcoming the Economic Crisis to Rekindle a Rapidly Developing Asia" (May 21, 2009)