"Prime Minister KAN's TV" E-mail Service (January 17, 2011)

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Prime Minister KAN's TV
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The following are the messages contained in the videos:

"No. 11 [New Year] The First Broadcast of 2011 -- Have Confidence
in Japan!"

Prime Minister: Happy New Year!

Narration: Since the start of the year, Prime Minister Kan has been
speaking his mind to the people at every opportunity, be it during
his New Year's press conference, in live interviews on TV programs,
or when he became the first incumbent Prime Minister to appear on
a live Internet program. The Prime Minister's positive tone in
these programs is backed by his confidence in Japan's potential,
which he thoroughly contemplated over the New Year holiday period.
For example...

Prime Minister: The biggest problem faced by Japan's agricultural
sector now is that young people find it quite difficult to engage
in it. This is epitomized by the fact that the current average age
of the people engaged in such work is 66. But is this how it should
be? There may be a number of young people who prefer working under
the sun in a green field to using computers or doing office work.
I would like to eliminate the various barriers to agricultural
activities. That is one thing that I would like to work on.

Narration: Besides increasing the number of young people working in
agriculture, the sector could also change its form. The site visits
the Prime Minister has gone on since last December have reinforced
his confidence about this.

Prime Minister: The agricultural sector should move beyond being
a primary industry that just produces goods like rice and
vegetables and aim to handle food processing and delivery as well.
In doing so, the sector should also aim to add value to these
processes. We term this kind of industry a "sixth-order industry."
Japanese cuisine has been overwhelmingly favored by many leaders
during APEC meetings and on other occasions. Some have even said, "
There is no cuisine as delicious and healthy as Japanese cuisine."
Our cuisine is made possible by the agricultural sector. We should
have confidence in this sector and export Japanese products to the
world. I think Japan's agricultural sector can be revived through
such approaches.

Narration: Last year, the Prime Minister had direct interaction
with many state leaders. His main principles remained firm
throughout these interactions.

Prime Minister: Last year there was great concern over the security
situation in Asia. A stable Japan-US alliance is essential and
indispensable to many countries in the Asian region as well --
a number of Asian leaders have told me this. The alliance is
definitely international public goods.
We should therefore think upon the Japan-US alliance with
confidence, knowing that it exists not only for the sake of Japan
and the United States, but also for the stability of Asia and the
world at large.
In this context, we should seek to have more open relations with
China, Russia, and many other countries.

Narration: Open international relations. The slogan "Opening Japan
in the 21st century" isn't just about the liberalization of trade.

Prime Minister: "Opening up Japan" concerns not only the economy
and our security situation, but also issues of human security, such
as the problems taken up in the activities of JICA or the
initiatives of Mr. Tetsu Nakamura in Afghanistan, which are roles
that Japan should play and that the international community expects
Japan to play.
I met a number of world leaders last year. I heard many comments
stating that Japan is one of the models they aim to emulate, and
many expressions of gratitude for the provision of various medical
and educational services to children through Japan's official
development assistance (ODA) and other means. Japan has played
a major role in the international community so far, and I believe
it can play a significant role in the future as well.
It's time we take a positive attitude once again and open up to the
world. Let's regain confidence in ourselves!

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Publication : Cabinet Public Relations Office
1-6-1 Nagata-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8968, Japan