Your Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan,
President of the UAE.
Your Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum,
Vice President and the Prime Minister of the UAE.
Your Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan,
Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi
and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
Ministers, distinguished colleagues, and ladies and gentlemen,
on behalf of the Government of Japan,
I directly extend my heartfelt congratulations
on the occasion of the fifth World Government Summit,
and we thank UAE for selecting Japan as the guest country of this summit.
We deeply respect the efforts of UAE to build an open society,
a society that does not rely exclusively on oil,
but one that has established itself as a hub of business in the region.
The unceasing efforts of the UAE
have built a level of prosperity that have garnered the world's admiration,
who respect the achievement of the UAE
and we laud your stance on diversity.
You have built a tolerant and multicultural society.
Your commitment to the environment,
public safety, public health and medical care,
human development, and good governance
are examples to governments around the world.
For shaping future governments, which is the main theme of this summit,
we should ask: what the most important role for government is?
I think that it is investment in the future,
especially, investment in education and innovation.
The Japanese education system is unique in its emphasis on civic responsibility.
This shared civic responsibility
is based on self-discipline and mutual cooperation.
Our respect for discipline and cooperation is a tradition
deeply held by the Japanese people.
This tradition originates from the samurai ethos
whose virtues include courage, justice, propriety, honor, and loyalty,
as well as from Confucianism
that teaches devotion to parents, family, and friends.
To reinforce these traditional values, which are deeply rooted in our society,
our government, for example, encourages students to clean their schools
because it is a space they share.
Doing so creates a sense of ownership.
In addition, the government includes morals and ethics
that respect for the elderly in the curriculum.
Furthermore, physical training in schools also keeps students healthy
and teaches them the value of cooperation,
which is an indispensable part of innovation,
particularly in the field of science and technology.
This Japanese-style education
that respects self-discipline and mutual cooperation.
has been introduced in a number of countries,
for instance, in UAE
at the initiative of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed,
Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
Some UAE students study at the Japanese School in Abu Dhabi.
It's also significant to provide educational opportunities
for all students.
By the 18th century,
Japanese society had established an inclusive learning system,
where not only rich, but also poor children, including girls,
had access to basic education, such as reading, writing, and arithmetic.
Following our defeat in the Second World War,
Japan, once again, became one of the world's main economic players.
Despite the disruption on the Second World War,
Japan maintained the principle of inclusive education.
I am convinced it was one of the reasons for the rapid recovery from the war
and its aftermath.
This so-called miracle was thanks to the government of Japan's emphasis
on education for all.
Today, our government still attaches the highest priority
to providing equal opportunity for all citizens,
and is expanding scholarships, so that everyone can realize their dreams
regardless of the material wealth of their upbringing.
However, pushing self-discipline alone never makes students want to study.
Education should stimulate intellectual curiosity
as it is the motive for any and the biggest innovations.
This leads me to my second point.
The governments should create a legal and social environment
that fosters innovation.
In other words, there should be no legal or social barriers
that hinder the intellectual curiosity of inventors.
I am very proud that Japan has produced
16 Nobel Prize winners in the field of science in this century.
In addition, in 2015,
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid
presented an award to Dr. Hiroshi Ishiguro,
a professor from Osaka University in Japan,
for his work in developing a humanoid robot.
In order to utilize a nation's talent,
the government must dismantle barriers
that interfere with innovation through steps
such as increasing research and development investment
and implementing regulatory reform.
I'd like to introduce a few examples.
Firstly, Japan will accelerate the development
of new drugs and treatment methods
by utilizing big data to analyze massive amounts of medical information
while protecting personal information.
Secondary, the Government of Japan established specially designated areas,
where the private sector could freely conduct research and test
for automated driving powered by AI.
The spread of automated driving will lead a safer society
with less traffic accidents.
Thirdly, we are working on the promotion of a hydrogen energy society.
Hydrogen energy is critical for energy security
and helps address global warming by reducing emissions.
Regulatory reform will soon clear the way
for the development of a robust hydrogen industry.
The world's first ever hydrogen bus,
nationwide hydrogen stations,
electricity supplied by hydrogen power generation
will all be the whole marks of this hydrogen energy society.
Last year, the world was captivated by advances in AI and IoT,
both of which are part of the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Leading this revolution through promoting industrial applications
of IoT, big data, AI, and robotics
are the core of the growth of strategy of the Government of Japan.
New business models and services tailored to individual will be created
as a result of IoT and robots.
All factories and shops will be connected through IoT
enabling zero inventory and the instantaneous automated production.
This could represent a game-changer for industry and economic growth.
For this to be realized,
the Government of Japan has already established a special unit
for new technology and studied development of human resources,
including the introduction of computer programming education
in the primary and secondary schools.
In conclusion, the role of government is to invest in the people's future
by promoting education and innovation.
In order to tackle future obstacles,
government will accelerated investment in new technology.
At the same time, government should broadly conduct regulatory reforms
to clear a path to shine for the best of the new talents
who are raised by an inclusive education system.
In Dubai, we have the biggest Japanese business community in this region.
I would be delighted if the government and companies of Japan both contribute
to the success of this summit as well as the prosperity of people in the region.
Thank you very much.