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PRIME MINISTER'S DIARY

                    Caption: Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda delivers his address at the General Assembly
                    of the United Nations, September 23.

Addresses at UN Headquarters

Japanese

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda delivered a speech to the United Nations High-Level Meeting on Nuclear Safety and Security held in New York, the United States on September 22, 2011 (local time).

Prime Minister Noda said at the meeting, "Through the dedicated efforts of our people involved, we are steadily moving closer to stable control of the accident. The most recent estimates indicate that the amount of radioactive materials being discharged is now being held down to a level one-four millionth of the level at the early stages of the accident. We are now making every effort to achieve the state of cold shutdown of the reactors roughly within 2011, ahead of schedule."

He went on to say, "Japan will disclose to the international community all the information related to this accident, in both swift and accurate manner. We have already presented two reports to the IAEA on the course of events. The Investigation and Verification Committee on the Accident at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Stations of Tokyo Electric Power Company is conducting a comprehensive investigation of the accident from a neutral and objective standpoint and will release its final report next year. Japan will hold an international conference to be co-hosted by the IAEA next year, through which we will share with the international community the results of our comprehensive inspections and our charted courses of actions towards the safe use of nuclear energy."

Prime Minister Noda then spoke at the Sixty-Sixth Session of the United Nations General Assembly on September 23, 2011.

He said, "The world expressed friendship and solidarity as well as praise for the Japanese people immediately after the earthquake. On behalf of the people of Japan, I express my heartfelt gratitude for the helping hands extended from all over the world."

Prime Minister Noda continued, "I am resolved to implement Japanese diplomacy working hand in hand with the all of the world leaders here at the United Nations, with the determination to make a substantive contribution to overcoming the challenges the world is facing and to shaping a brighter future for humanity." He then expressed his commitment to policies such as the active utilization of Japan's ODA to support developing countries, achieving economic growth in tandem with fiscal health, and promoting a transition to a green economy.

Prime Minister Noda then announced Japan's new commitment to Africa and the Middle East. He stated that, as part of the support to the Republic of South Sudan which became independent in July 2011, Japan was preparing to dispatch Japanese Self-Defense Forces personnel as staff officers of the headquarters of the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan, and Japan will conduct the necessary field study as early as possible for dispatching an engineering unit of the Self-Defense Forces.

He went on to say that, in response to the drought in the Horn of Africa, which was directly affecting the children of the region, Japan will act to mitigate this suffering as effectively as possible by providing further humanitarian aid, in addition to the assistance worth approximately 100 million U.S. dollars it has already implemented.

Prime Minister Noda also announced that Japan would support reform and democratization efforts in the Middle East and North Africa. To improve the employment situation and support human resource development in the region, Japan was prepared to extend an additional yen loan worth approximately 1 billion U.S. dollars in total, for projects that were expected to contribute to infrastructure building and industrial development. He also stated that Japan would provide support to ensure fair elections in Tunisia and Egypt, and, for a new Libya, Japan would support the country's nation-building efforts in cooperation with the international community.


Japan Night at Summer Davos


Scene from the Japanese dance performance at Japan Night, September 14
On September 14, the Japanese government, Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and Japan Association of Corporate Executives jointly organized Japan Night, as a side event of the Annual Meeting of the New Champions, also known as the "Summer Davos," at the World Economic Forum (WEF) held in Dalian, China.

The main message of Japan Night was "Creative Reconstruction—Towards a More Resilient and Sustainable Society." About 500 people, including leaders in a wide range of fields from around the world, took part in the event.


High school students from Sendai gave a taiko (Japanese drums) performance at Japan Night.
At the beginning of the event, which drew a capacity audience, a video message from Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda was screened. "The infrastructure and the economy of the tsunami-ravaged area have rebounded convincingly these last six months, with efforts towards reconstruction moving forward steadily," said Prime Minister Noda in the message. "Even after the earthquake and tsunami disaster, in Japan we have the will and the ability to contribute to the world," he emphasized.

Ambassador of Japan to China Uichiro Niwa, Chairman of Mitsubishi Corporation Yorihiko Kojima, and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum Klaus Schwab all spoke at the event. Professor Schwab brought high school students from areas affected by the earthquake onto the stage and introduced them to the audience. A film on the reconstruction was run, and a Japanese dance was performed with a theme of cherry blossoms blooming in a tsunami-hit area this year. High school students from Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, which was affected by the earthquake, played Japanese drums.


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