Press Conference on the occasion of His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince's Birthday (2011) - The Imperial Household Agency

Looking back on the past year, natural disasters occurred one after the other in Japan. In summer, we had the long spells of intense heat in many parts of the country and, conversely in winter, Japan suffered from severe cold and snow damage, in addition to the eruptions on Shinmoedake peak in the Kirishima range in Kyushu since the beginning of this year. Countries abroad such as Brazil and Australia have suffered damage from large-scale floods at the end of last year and in January of this year. I offer my prayers for the souls of those who lost their lives in various disasters in Japan and abroad and my sympathies for people suffering from the damage from the disasters.

I also sympathize with the sorrow of people who had no choice but to slaughter the livestock that they had carefully reared due to the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Miyazaki Prefecture and avian influenza in various regions in Japan, as well as with the hard work of people engaged in the slaughter operations.

The international community is facing instability and uncertainty, such as the situation of Northeast Asia and a series of moves in the Middle East region that started at the end of last year through to this year. On the economic front, severe conditions still prevail. It concerns me that people of Japan, young people in particular, are facing difficulties in getting jobs. I am also worried about the inward-looking tendency that is becoming increasingly apparent in younger generations as shown in the decreasing number of young Japanese people studying abroad, which perhaps is influenced by the difficulty in getting jobs against the backdrop of severe economic conditions. Nowadays, development of the Internet is making it easier to obtain information on various events around the world without going to the places in which the events are actually happening. Yet I believe that nothing can replace going to various places in the world, seeing it with our own eyes, reaching out and touching it with our own hands, and accumulating various experiences. Isn't it also important for young people to have an experience of seeing Japan from outside of Japan? Through such experience, I believe, they will be able to see Japan in a way that they would not have been able to know about otherwise. In fact, various events that I experienced when I was studying in the United Kingdom are my valuable assets today. I would like members of the younger generation to have an interest in various events in the world and harness their abilities to the full extent across the entire world.

As for the elderly people, what left a strong impression on me was, as described in the question, the issue of the older people unaccounted for, which became big news last year, and also the incidence of many elderly people passing away due to heatstroke amidst the intense heat. It is to be hoped that a society can be realized in which the elderly people can live their lives healthily without worries.

While there were many worrying events such as these, the event of people going under the name of the main character of Tiger Mask delivering gifts of goodwill, which happened successively across the country from the end of last year to this year, is one manifestation of goodwill. That, together with the well-led rescue activity in the cave-in accident at the copper-gold mine in Chile of last year, was heartwarming news. These events have reaffirmed my belief in the importance of connections among people and of being considerate of each other. I intend to continue holding close to my heart the people of Japan who are in difficult situations.

The visit to Ghana and Kenya of last March was an event that left an impression on me in the course of my official activities over the past year. That was my first visit to Africa south of the Sahara desert, or to Sub-Saharan Africa. While realizing that Africa is currently facing various issues, I also keenly felt that Africa has a great potential for the future. At the same time, the enthusiastic view of the people in Africa toward Japan left a strong impression on me. I was very much encouraged when I learned that the work undertaken by Dr. Hideyo Noguchi, including the research on yellow fever, has been taken over even today by the people engaged in medical care, members of Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers, and other people in the region. I was also delighted to visit and see the actual sites in which the Japanese people are deeply involved in the efforts for the widespread cultivation of a rice species called NERICA (New Rice for Africa), which requires little water and can be grown in dry regions of Africa, and in the efforts for the development of irrigation facilities.

I spoke about natural disasters earlier on in this press conference. In relation to that, on many occasions over the past year when I heard about threats of natural disasters and various issues arising in post-disaster reconstruction activities, I reaffirmed the importance of global efforts to address water issues. My term as the Honorary President of the United Nations Secretary-General's Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation, which was due to expire last December, has been extended by two years upon the request by the United Nations Secretary-General. I would like to continue deepening my knowledge on water issues and endeavoring to be of service to the fullest extent possible in my position so that various water-related issues around the world will move in a favorable direction.

In the press conference held on the occasion of my birthday of last year, the first year of my fifties, I stated, quoting the remarks of His Majesty the Emperor, that thinking back to the path travelled by the previous Emperors, keeping firmly implanted in my mind the stipulation of the Constitution of Japan that the Emperor shall be the symbol of the State and the Unity of the People, trying to share the joys and sorrows of the people of Japan, and hoping for the happiness of the people, I would continue seeking an appropriate answer to the question of how that symbolic role should be interpreted. This is still an endeavor which is in progress. I will continue devoting myself diligently to the endeavor, while seeing the things that Their Majesties the Emperor and the Empress do.

Last but not least, at this moment I will refrain from speaking about an invitation to the wedding ceremony of Prince William of the United Kingdom as we have not received the invitation from the Royal Family of the United Kingdom. When and if the invitation arrives, I believe deliberation will take place within the government first.