I am most pleased that the APEC Y2K Symposium is to take place here today and tomorrow, and I would like to extend my heartfelt welcome to many Y2K policy planners and experts from the APEC member economies. I would also like to take this opportunity to express a few words of greeting to mark of the beginning of this symposium.
The Y2K problem could have an enormous impact on vitally important fields such as finance, energy, info-communications, transportation, and on other various areas. This is a serious problem which could discourage our efforts to realize a highly computerized society and economy in the 21st century. Now that computer networks go through national borders and link the nations of the world together, any failure to tackle this problem will risk not only a single country to but many others. In short, Y2K has many problems that closely interrelated nations must work together under international cooperation.
Therefore, at the APEC Leaders Meeting which took place in November 1998, I proposed that the APEC member economies should make a concentrated effort over a certain fixed period to deal with the Y2K problem. This approach would raise further awareness of the problem in the economies and accelerate actions on international Y2K-related tasks, such as the implementation of simulation tests and the establishment of contingency plans. This proposal was agreed by the APEC member economies.
The period between Monday, April 19 and Friday, April 30 has been designated APEC-Y2K Week and the member economies of APEC are conducting a wide range of Y2K-related activities over the period. As an element of these activities, Canada, Singapore and Japan work together to organize this international symposium. The themes of this symposium are "The International Impact of the Y2K Problem on Key Economic Infrastructure" and "The Y2K Problem as It Affects Small and Medium Enterprises". Policy planners, academics and experts from APEC member economies and representatives of international agencies are gathered to discuss the Y2K problem in the Asia-Pacific region and to promote wider knowledge and action. I hope that all those attending this symposium will engage in candid debate to clarify what action APEC members should take within the limited time.
As part of the activities of APEC Y2K Week, Japan will dispatch experts to the APEC member economies by request, and invite those responsible for Y2K policy in member economies to Japan, to exchange information and ideas. Through those and many other planned activities, Japan hope to make all the Y2K-related expertise Japan possesses available, including the manual for drafting a contingency plan, and then, to contribute to the efforts of APEC member economies.
I believe these activities will step up the efforts of all APEC member economies to meet the Y2K challenge, and build a "bridge of security" to an advanced info-communication society which is prosperous and safe in to 21st century.