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<c.vttBottom.vttWhite>Happy New Year!</c>

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<c.vttBottom.vttWhite>The biggest problem faced by Japan’s
agricultural sector now is that </c>

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<c.vttBottom.vttWhite>young people find it quite difficult to engage in it．</c>

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<c.vttBottom.vttWhite>This is epitomized by the fact that the current average
age of the people engaged in such work is 66．</c>

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<c.vttBottom.vttWhite>But is this how it should be?
There may be a number of young people who </c>

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<c.vttBottom.vttWhite>prefer working under the sun in a green field to
using computers or doing office work．</c>

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<c.vttBottom.vttWhite>I would like to eliminate the various barriers to
agricultural activities．</c>

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<c.vttBottom.vttWhite>That is one thing that I would like to work on．</c>

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<c.vttBottom.vttWhite>The agricultural sector should move beyond
being a primary industry that just produces</c>

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<c.vttBottom.vttWhite>goods like rice and vegetables and aim to
handle food processing and delivery as well．</c>

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<c.vttBottom.vttWhite>In doing so， the sector should also aim to
add value to these processes．</c>

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<c.vttBottom.vttWhite>We term this kind of industry a
“sixth-order industry．”</c>

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<c.vttBottom.vttWhite>Japanese cuisine has been
overwhelmingly favored by</c>

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<c.vttBottom.vttWhite>many leaders during APEC meetings
and on other occasions．</c>

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<c.vttBottom.vttWhite>Some have even said， “There is no cuisine
as delicious and healthy as Japanese cuisine．”</c>

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<c.vttBottom.vttWhite>Our cuisine is made possible
by the agricultural sector．</c>

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<c.vttBottom.vttWhite>We should have confidence in this sector
and export Japanese products to the world．</c>

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<c.vttBottom.vttWhite>I think Japan’s agricultural sector can be revived
through such approaches．</c>

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<c.vttBottom.vttWhite>Last year there was great concern
over the security situation in Asia．</c>

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<c.vttBottom.vttWhite>A stable Japan-US alliance is essential and
indispensable to many countries</c>

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<c.vttBottom.vttWhite>in the Asian region as well -- a number of
Asian leaders have told me this．</c>

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<c.vttBottom.vttWhite>The alliance is definitely international
public goods．</c>

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<c.vttBottom.vttWhite>We should therefore think upon
the Japan-US alliance with confidence，</c>

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<c.vttBottom.vttWhite>knowing that it exists not only for the sake of
Japan and the United States，</c>

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<c.vttBottom.vttWhite>but also for the stability of Asia and
the world at large．</c>

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<c.vttBottom.vttWhite>In this context， </c>

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<c.vttBottom.vttWhite>we should seek to have more open relations
with China， Russia， and many other countries．</c>

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<c.vttBottom.vttWhite>“Opening up Japan” concerns not only
the economy and our security situation，</c>

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<c.vttBottom.vttWhite>but also issues of human security，</c>

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<c.vttBottom.vttWhite>such as the problems taken up in the activities of JICA
or the initiatives of Mr． Tetsu Nakamura in Afghanistan，</c>

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<c.vttBottom.vttWhite>which are roles that Japan should play and that
the international community expects Japan to play．</c>

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<c.vttBottom.vttWhite>I met a number of world leaders last year．</c>

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<c.vttBottom.vttWhite>I heard many comments stating that Japan is
one of the models they aim to emulate，</c>

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<c.vttBottom.vttWhite>and many expressions of gratitude
for the provision of various medical and</c>

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<c.vttBottom.vttWhite>educational services to children through</c>

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<c.vttBottom.vttWhite>Japan’s official development assistance (ODA)
and other means．</c>

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<c.vttBottom.vttWhite>Japan has played a major role
in the international community so far，</c>

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<c.vttBottom.vttWhite>and I believe it can play a significant role
in the future as well．</c>

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<c.vttBottom.vttWhite>It’s time we take a positive attitude
once again and open up to the world．</c>

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<c.vttBottom.vttWhite>Let’s regain confidence in ourselves!</c>