Top > What's up around the Prime Minister > March, 2006

Prime Minister Attends the Graduation Ceremony of the Japan Coast Guard Academy Sunday, March 26, 2006 JAPANESE Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi attended the graduation ceremony of the Japan Coast Guard Academy located in Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture. As the first prime minister in history to attend the ceremony, Prime Minister Koizumi indicated the importance of the roles played by the Japan Coast Guard, saying, "Exhaustive measures must continuously be taken to block the intrusion of terrorists at the shoreline and guard critical facilities such as nuclear power stations and major ports." Prime Minister Koizumi also encouraged the graduates, saying, "I hope that the activities undertaken by all of you, who day and night dedicate yourselves to and endeavor at the noble task of guarding the security of the seas, will be rewarded by the tribute of respect and gratitude from many people." After the graduation ceremony, Prime Minister Koizumi observed the practice of firing warning shots at the simulation center, which is a simulated bridge of a patrol vessel. He also planted a Japanese apricot tree in commemoration of his attendance to the ceremony.