At the opening the 169th session of the Diet, I would like to express my views on the conduct of the affairs of state.

During the last session of the Diet, as a result of sincere discussions amongst all of the political parties and political factions, we were able to enact various laws, including the Revised Law to Provide Assistance for the Recovery of the Livelihoods of those Affected by Disasters and the Revised Political Funds Control Law. On the issue of political funding, we will continue to make further efforts to enhance transparency, to restore the trust of the people back in politics. The Diet conducted thorough deliberations on the Replenishment Support Special Measures Law, in recognition of the need for Japan to fulfill its responsibility as a member of the international community and to resume refueling activities that are in line with our national interests. Unfortunately, we could not gain the support of the opposition parties for the legislation, however we were ultimately able to enact the Law.

There are many policy issues that must be addressed in this Diet session as well, such as the budget and other important bills that are directly related to the daily lives of the Japanese people. I firmly believe that it is precisely the responsibility of those in politics vis-a-vis the people to ensure that the ruling and opposition parties conduct thorough discussions based on a relationship of trust and reach decisions to conduct the affairs of state. I will continue to do my utmost to conduct responsible politics, based on the foundation of the coalition government of the Liberal Democratic Party and the New Komeito Party, by providing an explanation of policies clearly and in detail, and by proactively incorporating the views of the opposition parties. In this regard, I would like to ask once again for the understanding and cooperation of the entire nation as well as the members of the Diet.

Currently, Japan is faced with many challenges.

How do we maintain our economic strength amid a changing global economy symbolized by the rapid econo