在ヒューストン日本国総領事館

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

I am honored that you have joined us tonight to celebrate the birthday of His Majesty Emperor Akihito. His Majesty was born on December 23rd, 1933 and will turn 77 years of age later this month.

This year has seen many political events in both Japan and the U.S. In Japan, in June, then Finance Minister Naoto Kan became the new Prime Minister. In September, Prime Minister Kan was reelected and formed the current Cabinet. Here in the U.S., the mid-term elections were held in November.

2010 highlighted two proceedings important to the U.S.-Japan relationship. First, our nations reaffirmed the significance of the U.S.-Japan security alliance. Prime Minister Kan and President Obama held three bilateral meetings this year, each emphasizing the importance of this relationship as the foundation of peace and stability in East Asia over the past 50 years. Recent events remind us of the continuing importance of this relationship.

This year we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the security alliance between our two countries.

A second important initiative regards the Trans-Pacific Partnership or TPP. A few days before APEC 2010 opened in Yokohama, the Government of Japan officially decided to begin consultations with the countries including the U.S. in regards to the TPP. In the bilateral meetings during APEC 2010, Prime Minister Kan told President Obama about this decision. It will take some time to realize free trade between Japan and the U.S. However, I believe this decision is the right one.

Here in Houston, I’m happy to mention the Chiba-Houston sister-city relationship. This November, Chiba Mayor Toshihito Kumagai visited Houston to meet with Houston Mayor Annise Parker, and visited numerous landmarks around the city. Both mayors reaffirmed the strong ties between the two cities, and discussed ways to expand the relationship in the areas of commerce, research, and future exchanges.

To conclude my remarks, I want to thank all of you once again for taking time out of your busy schedules to join us this evening. On this occasion, I would like to ask for your cooperation in working with us to further improve Japan-U.S. relations. I’m still new to Houston, and will be meeting many of you for the first time. I look forward to speaking with each of you. Also, tonight we have an exhibition entitled “Brand Japan” on the second floor. It showcases some high-tech products produced by Japanese companies and JAXA. Please take some time to enjoy the exhibition. I wish everyone a very pleasant time.  While the economies of Texas and Oklahoma are already doing better than those of other states, I hope that they do even better next year. Thank you very much.