Sunday, February 11, 2001

Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori attended the National Ceremony to Celebrate National Foundation Day, organized by the Foundation for Celebrating National Holidays and held at Hibiya Public Hall, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo. Some 1,500 people attended, including House of Representatives Speaker Tamisuke Watanuki, House of Councillors President Yutaka Inoue, and members of the diplomatic corps. Addressing the assembly, the Prime Minister said, "We must firmly pass down Japan's distinctive traditions and culture and its natural beauty to our children and grandchildren. We need to build a peaceful Japan and world, blessed with environment richness in the twenty-first century, consolidating the gains of the twentieth century."