主な式典におけるおことば（平成15年）

I am pleased that the 18th Planetary Congress of the Association of Space Explorers is being held in Japan, the first time for our country, providing me the opportunity to meet the participants from around the world.

The night sky with its myriad stars has fascinated mankind since time immemorial, and man has long dreamed of exploring space. That dream has come true, and the first manned flight of 1961 together with the first landing on the moon in 1969 marked the beginning of the history of space exploration. Viewing the earth from above through the eyes of the astronauts, the people of the world have come to understand clearly that the earth is uniquely endowed with water, which is often praised as the origin of life, and is truly something that mankind can not do without.

I myself remember learning as a schoolboy about the famous words of Major Yuri Gagarin, "The Earth was blue!" and about those of the first woman ever to become an astronaut, Valentina Tereshkova, "This is the Seagull". I remember too watching with fascination the televised broadcast of the first lunar landing by Apollo 11.

We must not forget that the history of space exploration is built not only on the glorious successes of many many astronauts, but also on the sacrifice of precious lives. I am touched with sadness each time I recall the accident that befell the space shuttle Columbia, in which 7 precious lives were lost in February this year. Goals such as rising above this tragedy and finding measures to make space travel safer would in themselves alone be ample justification for this gathering of the world's astronauts.

I am told that as part of the agenda of this Planetary Congress with the theme "Learning from Space", the participating astronauts will travel throughout the country to meet with the young people of Japan. I think this will be a splendid opportunity to instill into our youth enthusiasm for space and scientific technology. I am sure that the astronauts of each country have gazed down upon Japan from space, and this time I would like you all to look at our country with your feet on the ground, to see the people living here and deepen your appreciation of our history and our culture.

Finally, let me conclude by expressing the hope that the discussions to take place here will bear fruit for the benefit of mankind and for the conservation of our environment.

I am very pleased that the Global Environmental Action Conference is being held with the participation of so many distinguished participants from Japan and abroad.

It is our responsibility to protect our precious global environment and pass it on to future generations.

The 21st century in which we are now living has been called the “Century of the Environment”. We need to seriously consider what concrete measures need to be taken under international cooperation to prevent deterioration of the global environment and to ensure a sustainable future.

To attain such a sustainable future, it is important to use wisely the natural resources which nature has created, and to promote environmental education such as will produce persons who possess the knowledge and technology that will make such wise use possible. To this end, it is also desirable to make good use of the advanced information technology of today.

I find it of great significance that this conference will be holding discussions on how to build a sustainable tomorrow. It is my fervent wish that the conclusions reached by this forum will be promulgated throughout the world and that further concrete measures will be taken in every country.