Meeting with Families of Abductees and Others
Cabinet Secretariat, Tuesday, February 19, 2019
[Provisional Translation]
On February 19, 2019, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a meeting with families of abductees and others at the Prime Minister’s Office.
The Prime Minister said in his opening address,
“I would like to welcome all of you to the Prime Minister’s Office today. Many years have passed since the first case of the abductions occurred, without this issue being resolved. While six years have passed since the inauguration of the second Abe administration, we still have not yet materialized the return of your families. It is truly a matter of extreme regret.
Last year, President Trump held a historic summit meeting with Chairman Kim Jong-un. At that summit meeting, President Trump conveyed my position on the abductions issue to Chairman Kim Jong-un. As the United States and North Korea have been engaged in negotiations thereafter, the U.S. has exerted its efforts towards the resolution of this issue. It has been confirmed that the second U.S.-North Korea Summit Meeting will be held in Hanoi this month.
I hope to hold a summit telephone talk with President Trump soon and convey my position to President Trump. You recently announced a new action policy, and issued a message addressed to Chairman Kim Jong-un conveying your position and sentiments. I read this message carefully. The thoughts and sentiments put into this message have come through vividly. Taking them solemnly, I will express to President Trump during our summit telephone talk our thoughts on how we should resolve this issue, and ask him to convey that to Chairman Kim Jong-un.
Going forward, keeping your wishes in mind, I will continue to work on resolving this issue, determined not to miss any possible opportunities. Today, I am looking forward to hearing your honest views and would like to share with you our work so far and our future plan of course. Thank you.”[Provisional Translation]
On February 19, 2019, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a meeting with families of abductees and others at the Prime Minister’s Office.
The Prime Minister said in his opening address,
“I would like to welcome all of you to the Prime Minister’s Office today. Many years have passed since the first case of the abductions occurred, without this issue being resolved. While six years have passed since the inauguration of the second Abe administration, we still have not yet materialized the return of your families. It is truly a matter of extreme regret.
Last year, President Trump held a historic summit meeting with Chairman Kim Jong-un. At that summit meeting, President Trump conveyed my position on the abductions issue to Chairman Kim Jong-un. As the United States and North Korea have been engaged in negotiations thereafter, the U.S. has exerted its efforts towards the resolution of this issue. It has been confirmed that the second U.S.-North Korea Summit Meeting will be held in Hanoi this month.
I hope to hold a summit telephone talk with President Trump soon and convey my position to President Trump. You recently announced a new action policy, and issued a message addressed to Chairman Kim Jong-un conveying your position and sentiments. I read this message carefully. The thoughts and sentiments put into this message have come through vividly. Taking them solemnly, I will express to President Trump during our summit telephone talk our thoughts on how we should resolve this issue, and ask him to convey that to Chairman Kim Jong-un.
Going forward, keeping your wishes in mind, I will continue to work on resolving this issue, determined not to miss any possible opportunities. Today, I am looking forward to hearing your honest views and would like to share with you our work so far and our future plan of course. Thank you.”[Provisional Translation]
On February 19, 2019, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a meeting with families of abductees and others at the Prime Minister’s Office.
The Prime Minister said in his opening address,
“I would like to welcome all of you to the Prime Minister’s Office today. Many years have passed since the first case of the abductions occurred, without this issue being resolved. While six years have passed since the inauguration of the second Abe administration, we still have not yet materialized the return of your families. It is truly a matter of extreme regret.
Last year, President Trump held a historic summit meeting with Chairman Kim Jong-un. At that summit meeting, President Trump conveyed my position on the abductions issue to Chairman Kim Jong-un. As the United States and North Korea have been engaged in negotiations thereafter, the U.S. has exerted its efforts towards the resolution of this issue. It has been confirmed that the second U.S.-North Korea Summit Meeting will be held in Hanoi this month.
I hope to hold a summit telephone talk with President Trump soon and convey my position to President Trump. You recently announced a new action policy, and issued a message addressed to Chairman Kim Jong-un conveying your position and sentiments. I read this message carefully. The thoughts and sentiments put into this message have come through vividly. Taking them solemnly, I will express to President Trump during our summit telephone talk our thoughts on how we should resolve this issue, and ask him to convey that to Chairman Kim Jong-un.
Going forward, keeping your wishes in mind, I will continue to work on resolving this issue, determined not to miss any possible opportunities. Today, I am looking forward to hearing your honest views and would like to share with you our work so far and our future plan of course. Thank you.”
Courtesy Call from a Delegation of the U.S. Congressional Study Group on Japan
Cabinet Secretariat, Tuesday, February 19, 2019
[Provisional Translation]
On February 19, 2019, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe received a courtesy call from a delegation of the U.S. Congressional Study Group on Japan, at the Prime Minister’s Office.[Provisional Translation]
On February 19, 2019, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe received a courtesy call from a delegation of the U.S. Congressional Study Group on Japan, at the Prime Minister’s Office.
Liaison Meeting of the Government and Ruling Parties
Cabinet Secretariat, Tuesday, February 19, 2019
[Provisional Translation]
On December 19, 2019, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended the Liaison Meeting of the Government and Ruling Parties at the Prime Minister’s Office.
The Prime Minister said in his opening address,
“The Diet has passed the second supplementary budget for this fiscal year, and engaged in deliberations on the budget for the next fiscal year. It has also started deliberations over the bill for the amendment of the tax system. I thank all the members of the ruling parties for the hard work you have put in so far. The most important economic measure is to pass the budget for the next fiscal year as early as possible. The Government will continue to put serious effort with a sense of urgency toward passing this budget. I would like to ask the ruling parties for your cooperation.
The death of a 10-year-old girl from child abuse in Noda City, Chiba Prefecture, is truly painful and tragic, and should never have happened. It is the responsibility of all adults to protect the lives of children. We cannot stop regretting that the adults around Mia, including the schools, boards of education, and child guidance centers, who should act as a fortresses to protect children, were not able to find and listen to her heart-wrenching for help and save her life. I conveyed a council of the relevant ministers on February 8 and I instructed them to take immediate actions to significantly strengthen the child guidance service system. These measures include completing within one month the emergency verification of the safety of children for all child abuse cases, and increasing the number of child welfare officers by 1,000 all at once in next fiscal year from the current 3,000 officers, aiming at reaching 5,000 by FY2022. In addition, we are now preparing for the revision of the Child Welfare Act. We would like to ask for your cooperation to make these measures effective by incorporating views of the ruling parties. We will implement these measures with a sense of urgency towards the eradication of child abuse, giving the protection of child the highest priority and taking all possible steps.
To restore confidence in government statistics, we will carry out thorough inspection to ensure that similar incidents do not happen again. The first meeting of the sub-commission for inspection and verification, which was established under the Statistics Commission. We will exert all-out efforts to prevent the recurrence of such cases, implementing necessary measures based on the inspection and reviews, and fulfill our political responsibility.
In the run up to the second U.S.-North Korea Summit Meeting scheduled to be held in Hanoi, Vietnam, on February 27 and 28, next week, I will hold a telephone summit meeting with President Trump, closely coordinate the policies of Japan and the United States, and encourage the process between the U.S. and North Korea. The Association of Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea (AFVKN) and the National Association for the Rescue of Japanese Kidnapped by North Korea (NARKN) issued a message, which incorporates the earnest wishes of the families to dare the return of their family members. As the families of the abductees are aging, I believe that it is absolutely necessary for me to ultimately meet with Chairman Kim Jong-un next in order to resolve the issue at the earliest possible date. With the long-standing wishes of the families in our hearts, the Abe Cabinet is determined to act with resolution, without letting any opportunities slip by, in order to resolve the abductions issue, by any means necessary.
The GDP for the October to December period last year, published last week, has turned into a positive figure underpinned by an increase in private demand, such as the recovery of personal consumption and capital investment from the impact of disasters. Furthermore, with regard to employment, which holds the greatest importance for the lives of the people, the number of people employed increased by 3.8 million, and the number of people in regular employment increased by 1.31 million, which maintain an increase for the four consecutive year, despite the decline in the working-age population by 5 million people over the past six years. In the three-year period when the Democratic Party of Japan was in power, before we regained power, the number of people in regular employment had fallen by 500,000. Regular employment figures have now recovered, and further increased by more than twice that number. We have delivered significant results. In order to further strengthen this momentum, I aim to continue driving policies forward, putting the economy as the greatest priority. To that end, I ask for the cooperation of all members of the ruling parties.”
Ministerial Council on the Monthly Economic Report and Other Relative Issues
Cabinet Secretariat, Thursday, February 21, 2019
[Provisional translation]
On February 21, 2019, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended a meeting of the Ministerial Council on the Monthly Economic Report and Other Relative Issues at the Prime Minister's Office.
Regarding the assessment of the current state of the Japanese economy, the February Monthly Economic Report states, “The Japanese economy is recovering at a moderate pace.” Furthermore, concerning short-term prospects, the Report states, “The economy is expected to continue recovering, supported by the effects of the government’s policies, while the employment and income situation is improving. However, attention should be given to risks, including the effects of current trade issues on the world economy, the uncertainty in overseas economic trends and policies including the prospects of the Chinese economy, and the effects of fluctuations in the financial and capital markets.”
Japan-Egypt Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
Foreign Affairs, Friday, February 15, 2019
On February 15, commencing at 2 p.m. local time (10 p.m. Japan time) for approximately 40 minutes, Mr. Taro Kono, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, during his visit to Munich to attend the Munich Security Conference, held a meeting with H.E. Mr. Sameh Shoukry, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Arab Republic of Egypt . The overview of the meeting is as follows.
1. At the beginning, Minister Kono stated that he was happy to see Minister Shoukry again and that the Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue in October 2018 was beneficial. Minister Kono thanked the Government of Egypt for inviting, at the initiative of President El-Sisi, 27 high school students and others to Egypt from the prefectures affected by the 2018 heavy rain in western Japan, and hoped that the President would attend the G20 Osaka Summit and the Seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 7).
2. In response, Minister Shoukry expressed his happiness that Japan-Egypt relations have further developed in a variety of areas in recent years. The Minister noted that President El-Sisi has high respect for Japan and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and that he seeks to further advance their bilateral cooperation. Minister Shoukry expressed appreciation for the assistance Japan has extended to Egypt as well as satisfaction with the current situation of the bilateral relationship.
3. The two ministers welcomed the progress of the bilateral cooperation on Japanese-style education based on the Egypt-Japan Education Partnership (EJEP) and cooperation on the Grand Egyptian Museum, and shared the view on further deepening the cooperation. With regard to TICAD 7, Minister Kono stated that Japan attaches importance to the role of Egypt as Chair of the African Union (AU), and the two ministers shared the view that they would work closely towards the success of TICAD 7. In addition, Minister Kono explained that Japan was considering the possibility of dispatching a few personnel of the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) as staff liaison officers to the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) in response to the MFO’s request. Minister Shoukry welcomed that Japan began considering the dispatch of personnel, and stated that the MFO fulfills a critical and symbolic role for regional stability and that Japan’s contribution would advance the MFO’s role.
4. The two ministers also discussed the situation in the Middle East, including the Middle East Peace Process and the situation in Syria, the situation in North Korea, and cooperation in the international arena.
POKEMON and HELLO KITTY appreciated as Special Envoys (Mascot Character) for EXPO 2025 OSAKA, KANSAI, JAPAN
Foreign Affairs, Thursday, February 21, 2019
On Feburuary 21, Mr. Taro Kono, Minister for Foreign Affairs, presented to POKEMON (representative: PIKACHU) and HELLO KITTY the letters of appreciation for their contribution as Special Envoys (Mascot Character) for EXPO 2025 OSAKA, KANSAI, JAPAN.
(Reference) Japan was elected as the host country of EXPO 2025 at the election held in Paris on November 23rd in 2018.
Announcement of the Official Logo for "The 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relationship between Japan and Republic of Palau in 2019"
Foreign Affairs, Wednesday, February 20, 2019
The official logo for "The 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relationship between Japan and Republic of Palau in 2019" was adopted by both the Governments of Japan and Palau.
The creator is Ms. Risa Ulechong, living in Palau. The logo expresses sun and moon which symbolize the national flag of Palau and the national flag of Japan surrounded by cherry blossom, Plumeria and blue sea which connects both countries.
Organizers of events endorsed by the Ministry will be entitled to use the official name "The 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relationship between Japan and Republic of Palau in 2019" and the official logo.
TOWARD TICAD 7: ‘Africa & Me’ Part 2 - JICA’s Momoko Suzuki Helps the Circle of Kaizen Partners Grow, Creating Opportunities for Mutual Learning
JICA, Thursday, February 21, 2019
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had the following to say at the opening ceremony for the 6th Tokyo International Conference on African Development held in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2016:
"Japan will cooperate with NEPAD*1 to spread Kaizen*2 all throughout Africa. We will aim to increase by 30 percent the productivity of factories where Kaizen is introduced.”
Nine months later JICA and NEPAD concluded an agreement on the Africa Kaizen Initiative. As Africa struggles to enhance productivity and competitiveness, the initiative is aiming to deepen the connections between countries and agencies that work on Kaizen and to effectively spread Kaizen in the 10 years leading up to 2027.
This second installment in the series "TOWARD TICAD 7: Africa & Me" takes up Africa’s challenge to enhance its productivity through introducing Kaizen, via the thoughts of JICA staff member Momoko Suzuki of the JICA Industrial Development and Public Policy Department, who worked to launch this initiative.
*1: The New Partnership for Africa's Development, an intergovernmental agency that aims for the political, social and economic integration of the countries of Africa. Its members are African countries. It was established in 2002.
*2: A management approach developed at Japanese manufacturing industry workplaces to increase product quality and productivity in the country during its period of high growth. The fundamentals include the five S's, or 5S: "Sort," "Set In order," "Shine," "Standardize" and "Sustain."
Annual Kaizen conference held; 20 countries share positive examples
Last July, the third African Kaizen Annual Conference was held in Durban, South Africa. Policymakers, practitioners, entrepreneurs, scholars and others, about 150 in all, participated in the conference organized by JICA and NEPAD. They hailed from 20 countries mostly in Africa, but also in Asia, Latin America and elsewhere.
During the three-day conference, participants gave presentations on positive examples of Kaizen, including Ethiopia, which began operating a Kaizen Consultant Certification, Accreditation and Registration System, and companies in various countries that significantly reduced waste in their manufacturing processes. Participants listened enthusiastically.
JICA distributed its newly created Kaizen Handbook, a collection of information on the practice of Kaizen and human resource development. "There were many examples we could capitalize on in my country. It was an amazing conference," one participant said after the event.
Suzuki, who has been involved in running the conference since the inaugural event and spent more than six months thinking of topics of discussion and selecting speakers, said, "The breadth of participants broadens with every conference. Various countries have begun moving in unison based on the one big intention of 'changing Africa.'"
Discussion Summary of the G20 Symposium
Bank of Japan, Thursday, February 21, 2019
Discussion Summary of the G20 Symposium "For a Better Future: Demographic Changes and Macroeconomic Challenges" held on January 17th 2019 has been released.
The discussion summary is now available at the source link.
