A ceremony commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Tokyo Stock Exchange was held in the TSE's Tosho Hall. After observing the floor of the TSE, Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi attended the ceremony as a guest of honor. Addressing the assembly, he said, "The Tokyo Stock Exchange is expected to play a significant role in the growth of the world economy through the smooth supply of international funds."
Their Imperial Majesties the Emperor and Empress, Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, and other dignitaries greeted His Royal Highness Jean and Her Royal Highness Josˇphine-Charlotte, grand duc and grand duchess of Luxembourg, at a welcoming ceremony at Akasaka Palace. The grand duc and grand duchess were in Japan as state guests. That night a state dinner in their honor was held at the Imperial Palace. (The next day the prime minister hosted a dinner for the grand duc and grand duchess at the prime minister's official residence.)
Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi addressed newly recruited central government employees at a joint training session at Kudan Kaikan. Referring to a series of scandals involving civil servants, the prime minister exhorted the fledgling bureaucrats to "bring a sense of pride and responsibility to your work and become civil servants worthy of high trust." He also touched on the government's proposed reorganization of central ministries and agencies (see April 27), saying, "This reform will extend to every part of government administration in order to enable it to respond to public expectations and deal with new challenges."
Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi met with Yasser Arafat, president of the Palestinian Authority, at the prime minister's official residence. The two leaders exchanged views on the Middle East peace process. The prime minister reiterated Japan's recognition of the Palestinian people's right of self-determination, including the right to establish an independent state, but added that he hoped that all problems with Israel would be settled peacefully, through negotiations. He added that Japan would urge this upon Israel, as well, and would continue its support for Palestine.
A conference of advisers addressing the so-called year 2000 problem, chaired by Takeo Shiina, chairman of IBM Japan, Ltd., was held at the prime minister's official residence. It was decided to vigorously promote the disclosure of information regarding the Y2K problem likely to have an impact on national life and to urge the information technology industry to quickly draw up a crisis management plan. It was also decided to produce a manual to help small businesses formulate crisis-management plans and to make information having a direct bearing on daily life available on the home page of the prime minister's official residence and through government-sponsored seminars.
Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi met with Mohamed Hosni Mubarak, president of the Arab Republic of Egypt, at the prime minister's official residence. The two leaders agreed that their countries would cooperate in encouraging the Middle East peace process. The joint statement issued after the meeting set forth a Japan-Egypt Partnership Program spanning five areas: peace and cooperation; economy, trade, and investment; environment; cultural exchange; and education, youth, and academic exchange. Specific measures include construction of a wind farm for energy generation and a solar energy generation facility and establishment of a Foreign Trade Training Center in Egypt.
Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, along with foreign ambassadors and other dignitaries, attended the Robot Contest in Nagatacho, held at the official residence of the speaker of the House of Representatives. The contest was organized by a suprapartisan group of National Diet members with an interest in science and technology in order to familiarize Diet members with robots and robotics in the leadup to the International Robot Contest Festival to be held in 2001 in Osaka and Kanagawa Prefectures. The 32 robots on display, many made by university students, ranged from simple devices to sophisticated robots equipped with artificial intelligence. The prime minister remarked that he thought the contest also helped people appreciate the sheer joy of making things.
Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi hosted a cherry blossom viewing party at Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden in Tokyo. Some 11,000 people were invited to the annual function, including political and business leaders, foreign ambassadors, scholars, writers, artists, entertainers, and athletes. The garden's 600 "yaezakura" cherry trees were in full bloom. The prime minister spent about an hour chatting with guests and posing for group photographs.
Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi met with His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, amir of the State of Qatar
The second meeting of the Prime Minister's Commission on Japan's Goals in the Twenty-first Century was convened at the prime minister's official residence. In line with the "five bridges to the twenty-first century" outlined by the prime minister in his policy speech to the National Diet in January, five subcommittees were set up to address Japan's place in the world, prosperity and dynamism, a contented and enriching life, a beautiful country and safe society, and the future of the Japanese. Each subcommittee will have about 10 members, including members of the commission.
The cabinet approved 17 bills related to reform of central ministries and agencies and a basic plan for making the bureaucratic apparatus more efficient. The bills aim to encourage politically led policy making by strengthening cabinet functions and to create a leaner government by streamlining the bureaucracy and making it more efficient. (The next day Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi submitted the bills to the National Diet.)
The Japan Investment Council, chaired by Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, met and issued a statement pledging all-out efforts to create a climate more conducive to foreign business investment in Japan. The measures proposed emphasize making life in Japan easier for foreign business people and their families, including facilitating the conversion of discontinued public schools into international schools and relaxing restrictions on hospitals' advertising foreign-language medical services.
At the second meeting of the Competitiveness Commission, representatives of Keidanren (Japan Federation of Economic Organizations), along with other private-sector business organizations, presented their requests for government measures to assist corporate restructuring. Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi said that all the points raised involved important issues that really should have been resolved during this session of the National Diet and directed the relevant ministries and agencies to undertake prompt study of them.
Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi flew out of Haneda Airport on a special government airplane on an official visit to the United States from April 29 to May 5, the first official visit by a Japanese prime minister in 12 years.