Обращения к читателям японского премьера (регулярный вестник)

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Aso Cabinet E-mail Magazine Inaugural Preparatory Issue (October 2, 2008)
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"Be Strong and Bright."
— Message from the Prime Minister (Provisional Translation)


The mission of the Prime Minister.

Hello, this is Taro Aso wishing you well.

On September 24, 2008, I assumed the office of Prime Minister
of the 92nd Cabinet of Japan. I am very much looking forward
to communicating with the readers of the e-mail magazine.

The grave responsibility of the premiership has fallen upon
my shoulders, and I feel its weight keenly. In particular,
I have taken sternly to heart the fact that we are in the midst
of a crisis encompassing the people's anxieties about the economy,
as well as their daily lives and the future, and moreover,
their dissatisfaction with politics that have failed to assuage
these anxieties.

I believe my mission is nothing less than to revive Japan,
making it once again a strong and bright nation.

To rebuild the Japanese economy and to increase the prosperity
of the people are issues of utmost urgency. I will immediately
take measures to revive business activity and to cope with rising
prices. The Japanese economy needs three years for a full recovery;
in three years, Japan must break out of its mold.

I believe in the latent power of Japan.

We are a hard-working people with technological prowess.
The Japanese economy has boldly met countless severe challenges,
and each time it has emerged stronger. There is absolutely
no reason to be pessimistic.

I will devote myself to ensuring politics that do not shy away
from the tasks at hand but instead carry them out responsibly.
I am determined to build a strong and bright nation — a nation
of which we, the people of Japan, can feel proud.

Over the past year, I have toured 161 locations around the country
in order to listen directly to what the people in the regions have
to say.

This e-mail magazine is not just to express my ideas; it also
provides an opportunity to listen to your views, so that I can
reflect them in the conduct of the affairs of state.

I hope each and every one of you will think of yourselves as members
of the Aso Cabinet, and share with me your frank opinions. Together,
let us energize Japan.


* Policy Speech by Prime Minister Taro Aso to the 170th Session
  of the Diet (September 29, 2008)
 http://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/asospeech/2008/09/29housin_e.html

* Profile of the Prime Minister
 http://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/asoprofile/index_e.html

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[What's New in Government Internet TV]

<11ch> Topics
- MEGUMI(Japanese animation) - French
 http://nettv.gov-online.go.jp/eng/prg/prg1840.html

- MEGUMI(Japanese animation) - German
 http://nettv.gov-online.go.jp/eng/prg/prg1839.html

- MEGUMI(Japanese animation) - Spanish
 http://nettv.gov-online.go.jp/eng/prg/prg1838.html

- MEGUMI(Japanese animation) - Italian
 http://nettv.gov-online.go.jp/eng/prg/prg1837.html
 
- MEGUMI(Japanese animation) - Russian
 http://nettv.gov-online.go.jp/eng/prg/prg1836.html

- Nurturing Human Resources to Steer the Future - Asian Youth
  Exchange Program in Okinawa
 http://nettv.gov-online.go.jp/eng/prg/prg1835.html


* Please click below to open "Japanese Government Internet TV"
  in English.
 http://nettv.gov-online.go.jp/eng/index.html

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[What's up around the Prime Minister]

- Decision on Senior Vice-Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries
  (September 29, 2008) and others 
 http://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/asophoto/index_e.html

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[Aso Cabinet E-mail Magazine]

- Click below to make comments on this e-mail magazine
 http://www.mmz.kantei.go.jp/enquetePcEn

- Subscription and cancellation of this e-mail magazine
 http://www.mmz.kantei.go.jp/foreign/m-magazine/

General Editor : Prime Minister Taro Aso
Chief Editor : Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Jun Matsumoto
Publication  : Cabinet Public Relations Office
               1-6-1 Nagata-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8968, Japan

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Aso Cabinet E-mail Magazine Inauguration Issue (October 9, 2008)
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"Japan's latent power"
— Message from the Prime Minister (Provisional Translation)


Japan's latent power

Dr. Yoichiro Nambu, Dr. Toshihide Masukawa, and Dr. Makoto Kobayashi
are to be awarded the 2008 Nobel Prize in Physics. Also, the breaking
news last night was that the 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry will go to
Dr. Osamu Shimomura.

This marks the first time in six years that a Japanese has achieved
the distinction of being selected to receive the Nobel Prize. 
Hearing this bright news, I immediately made phone calls to express
my congratulations and gratitude.

"What is very important is to have an adventurous spirit in science.
In my view, studying comes more easily to those who feel passionate
about a field."

This is a powerful message from Professor Masukawa to the young
people of today. I believe that the cheerful and constructive
attitude the Japanese people take to all that they do is the source
of the people's strength.

Japanese people should have more confidence in their latent powers.
Japan must be "strong and bright." I hope to expand upon these ideas
through this weekly e-mail magazine, and this issue marks its
official inauguration.

Meanwhile, the Japanese economy, including the regional economies,
is subject to increasingly severe conditions. My top priority is
to ease the people's anxieties about their daily lives. First, we
must implement without delay the Comprehensive Immediate Policy
Package that was formulated recently.

The supplementary budget, which underpins the implementation of
the policy package, passed the House of Representatives yesterday.
I will seek to obtain, as soon as possible, the approval of
the House of Councillors, in which the deliberations are to commence.

This week, the Nikkei stock average dropped below 10,000
for the first time in four years and ten months. The yen also
continues to strengthen and for a time one U.S. dollar traded
for less than 100 yen.

Compared to other countries, Japan's financial system is healthy.
Yet there are strong concerns that the real economy will be affected
by the serious financial crisis stemming from the United States.
I will unfailingly carry out appropriate measures while paying close
attention to changes in the economic conditions.

There are many other important policy issues. I will openly and
squarely attend to the Diet deliberations, and will swiftly bring
about conclusions to the discussions on the issues at hand.


* Profile of the Prime Minister
 http://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/asoprofile/index_e.html

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[Aso Cabinet E-mail Magazine]

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Aso Cabinet E-mail Magazine No.2 (October 16, 2008)
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"Focusing on policy"
— Message from the Prime Minister (Provisional Translation)


Focusing on policy

A food-poisoning incident has occurred involving Chinese-made frozen
haricot beans. I would like to express my heartfelt sympathies to all 
those affected by the incident.

Anxiety over food safety has risen higher than ever before. Our first
priority must be to prevent the damage from spreading any further and
to investigate the facts. At the same time, we will tackle the task of 
ensuring the safety of imported foods, such as by strengthening
the quarantine system.

Last Sunday, I visited some small and medium-sized companies in Hamamatsu
City, Shizuoka Prefecture.

At a factory for precision machining of metal, I was surprised by what
I saw of the techniques of the craftsmen who undertook grinding processes
with micron-order accuracy.

They were absorbed in their work, and did not even notice me when I talked
to them. Once again, I realized that it is craftsmen such as these
who sustain our nation's micro-, small and medium-sized companies, and
I felt proud of them.

At a factory producing the cake known as Baumkuchen, I wore a white gown,
cap, and mask, and performed the hand washing and alcohol sterilization
procedure, experiencing myself the uncompromising approach of Japanese
businesses toward ensuring food safety, which is a growing concern among
consumers.

Meanwhile, I heard workers voice their pressing worries about the recent
rises in the prices of raw materials and fuel and about financing in
the current economic situation, among other matters. I will unfailingly
respond to these anxieties and do my very best to help out micro-, small
and medium-sized companies.

These past two weeks, stock markets and foreign exchange markets have been
volatile due to the influence of the financial crisis gripping the United
States and Europe. In Japan, the Nikkei stock average fell to almost 8,000
at one point, while the appreciation of the yen is continuing.

In advance of the meeting of the G-7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank
Governors held last weekend, I instructed Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa 
to inform the gathering about Japan's experience of stabilizing its financial
markets through injections of capital by the Government, at the time when
Japanese financial institutions were suffering from the effects of
non-performing loans. I asked him to urge the participants to mount
a fundamental response. Following my instructions, Finance Minister Nakagawa
took a leading role in the discussions and the G-7 succeeded in issuing
a clear message.

Some European countries have already started to inject public funds into
financial institutions. The United States is also taking a big step toward
an injection of public funds. I believe these responses stem from the studies 
of Japan's experience.

Japanese financial markets are the most stable among the world's financial
systems, but even so, we will take steps to minimize the impact of
the financial crisis on the real economy through coordination with other
nations and by making use of every possible policy instrument. At the end of
last week, I issued the instruction to ease, for the rest of the year,
limits on corporate stock buy-backs. This measure was implemented immediately
at the start of this week.

The Diet deliberations on the supplementary budget will move into their final
stage today. Using the supplementary budget, I will quickly carry out
the tasks at hand, including measures to cope with rising prices, and 
bolstering credit enhancement to help stabilize the management of small and
medium-sized companies, both of which are stipulated in the Comprehensive
Immediate Policy Package.

Since August, when the policy package was formulated, the international
financial situation has entered a new and severe stage marked by such
developments as the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers. We will respond steadily
and quickly to these drastic changes in the situation.

As events remain poised on a knife-edge, more than anything else I would like
to focus on materializing and implementing each item of policy in turn.

I welcome your thoughts, and your opinions about what you have noticed,
amid the substantially changing situation. Please send us an e-mail.
In the course of formulating and implementing policy, I will take your voices
into account.


* Profile of the Prime Minister
 http://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/asoprofile/index_e.html