We Are Tomodachi Autumn 2015

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14Full text: http://japan.kantei.go.jp/97_abe/statement/201505/0521foaspeech.html The year 2015. It is quite certain that this year will be a major turning point for the future of Asia. This is because the ASEAN Economic Community will finally be launched. This Asia will move forward in integrating their economies while embracing that diversity. That is a major challenge. Many Asian countries achieved their independence after World War II. They also attained economic development that can properly even be called miraculous. Looking back on these 70 years of history, it was prosperity that was the seedbed for peace, and peace that gave rise to prosperity. Those are lessons that we share in common. In order to secure Asia’s long-lasting peace and prosperity, we must create an economic zone that is free, fair, and dynamic. We share in common this goal at which we will take aim in the future. We now stand at a historical crossroads. What future awaits us beyond Asian growth? Asia must be innovative. We must use innovation to confront the issues that lie in store for us. Whether a blessing or a curse, Japan has grappled with the problem of energy constraints for many years as an island nation having only scarce resources. Having begun to face the issue of an aging population quite early on, we have also improved our medical services. Japan intends to share those technologies and experiences openhandedly with other Asian nations. The reality of a graying society is certainly about to be near at hand in the countries of Asia as well. Already in various Asian countries, infectious diseases that had until recently been rampant vanished as societies became affluent, while diabetes, cancer, and other lifestyle-related diseases have become increasingly prevalent. Naturally, the medical services that people want also need to change. The technology of medical instruments is constantly advancing. Moreover, it is also necessary to improve doctors’ skills continually as they utilize these kinds of cutting-edge equipment. Japan intends to make its greatest possible efforts to raise Asia’s healthcare standards into the future as well, using our experiences until now together with our technologies. Over the next five years, in the health and medical fields, Japan plans to assist in developing the capacity of 8,000 young people from around ASEAN. We also need innovation in the field of energy. Japan refined its advanced technologies over the course of several decades after experiencing energy shocks and pollution. We are willing to share that experience and those technologies with Asia. We will help Asian countries to realize their energy strategies and contribute to technological development around Asia. In the energy field, over the next five years, Japan intends to move forward in developing human resources in Asia at a scale of 5,000 people. And how about using coal, which we can rightly call Asia’s resource, in a more efficient way? Japan has already achieved an efficiency significantly surpassing the world average by combusting coal at high temperatures. This Japanese technology would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 1.5 billion tons per year just by spreading to the U.S., China, and India alone. In addition, efficiency jumps remarkably through the use of the latest technologies for the

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