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Prime Minister Attends Commencement of Air Review 2005 Sunday, October 30, 2005 JAPANESE Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi attended the Commencement of Air Review 2005 held at Hyakuri Base of the Air Self-Defense Force (SDF) in Ibaraki Prefecture. The ceremony, which was held as a commemorative event for the anniversary of the establishment of the SDF, was participated by approximately 1,000 SDF personnel and showcased 115 transport and fighter aircrafts. The ceremony took place in front of roughly 6,800 spectators. After reviewing the flight of the Ground Self-Defense Force's anti-tank helicopters, the Air Self-Defense Force's early warning aircraft, fighter aircraft, government plane and the like, Prime Minister Koizumi delivered an address in front of the SDF personnel. He said, "You have established high appraisal abroad as 'forces carrying out the goodwill of the people of Japan' and peoples' expectations in this regard are on the rise. On the domestic front, following a long debate on the issue, we are finally seeing a national consensus being formed concerning the status of the SDF in the Constitution. Ladies and gentlemen, as Commander-in-Chief of the SDF I would like to summarize by saying that I, in unison with you, will devote my full energy to improve the environment for your activities, both internally and externally, to allow the SDF to accomplish their duties commendably." View Video (Available only in Japanese) Real(Narrowband) / Real(Broadband) Windows Media(Narrowband) / Windows Media(Broadband)