Addresses by His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince(2017)

Mr. Chairman,
Mr. President,
Distinguished Governors,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am greatly delighted that the fiftieth Annual Meeting of the Asian Development Bank is being held here in Yokohama, a city that has developed as a gateway to the world since the opening of its port about 160 years ago.

I had the opportunity to attend the annual meetings in Fukuoka twenty years ago and also in Kyoto ten years ago. It is my great pleasure to be here again with you today, at this memorable annual meeting to reflect on the Bank's achievements this far and to discuss the future of the Asia-Pacific region.

Fifty years ago, when the Bank's Inaugural Meeting was held in Tokyo, Asia and the Pacific was one of the poorest regions in the world. Since then, during the last half century, the countries in this region have made significant progress in economic development and poverty reduction. In this process, the Bank has worked closely with its member countries and across a range of areas actively provided them with development assistance. I would like to express my sincere respect for the member countries' efforts and the Bank’s considerable contributions.

There are, however, still over three hundred million people living in poverty in this region, and poverty reduction through sustainable and inclusive growth remains an important agenda to us. The region is also faced with a range of challenges, such as developing infrastructure including power supply networks and transportation facilities, as well as addressing natural disasters and climate change. Against this backdrop, I hope that the Bank will further play an important role in addressing these issues.

I understand that this annual meeting identified as its theme "Building Together the Prosperity of Asia". According to these words, I would like to conclude my remarks by expressing my hope that the participants gathered here in Yokohama from around the world will combine their wisdom and work towards overcoming various challenges, so that we can together build Asia's prosperity.

Thank you.

Excellencies,
Distinguished participants,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

　It is my great pleasure that the LAWASIA Conference Tokyo 2017 has brought together so many legal professionals and jurists from around the Asian-Pacific region.

　It is of great significance that LAWASIA has been continuing its efforts for over 50 years, ever since its inception in 1966, to promote mutual exchanges and deepen friendships among lawyers.

　As I mentioned at the opening ceremony of the 18th LAWASIA Conference held in Tokyo in 2003, the Asia-Pacific region has achieved dramatic economic development over the last few decades. More recently, there has been impressive technological progress in areas such as IT and AI.

　It is a very timely opportunity for lawyers from around the region to gather here and exchange views on establishing the legal fundamentals that are necessary to respond to such changes, as well as on various other problems facing the region.

　It is also highly meaningful that, alongside this conference, Chief Justices from each country being here will discuss, from a broad perspective, the issues surrounding the judiciary and the courts of the region with the view of establishing fair and independent judicial systems.

　I would like to close my address by expressing my sincere hope that this conference will promote mutual understanding and friendship, and will contribute to the establishment and reinforcement of the rule of law that could pave the way for a brighter future of all people.

Excellencies,
Distinguished participants,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

　It is my great pleasure to see that the 14th Annual Meeting of the Science and Technology in Society forum, the STS forum, has been successfully concluded with fruitful discussions over the past three days among esteemed participants from all over the world.

　This is the fifth time I have attended the STS forum since its founding in 2004. It is of great significance that the STS forum has held lively discussions over the last 13 years on various issues related to the so-called "lights and shadows" of science and technology, as well as sustainability for the future of humankind. I would like to express my deep respect for all the efforts made by those dedicated to organizing this forum as well as those who participated in the previous forums.

　This forum covers state-of-the-art science and technology issues like life sciences including genome engineering, the internet, and artificial intelligence, all of which have been rapidly progressing and will lead to important innovations in future society. Simultaneously it also touches upon various issues arising from their advancement and development. It is indispensable to discuss innovation not only from positive aspects, but also from various other aspects. I, together with the Crown Princess, feel very encouraged to hear that young people from many countries, who might take the lead in the society of the future, were greatly stimulated by their dialogue with Nobel Laureates.

　In thinking of the future of humankind, it is necessary to discuss issues like climate change, energy, food and water from the viewpoint of not only 20 to 30 years in the future but also from a longer-term perspective. It is also crucial that leaders of governments, industries and academia should get together with specialists in science and technology, and discuss these global issues as their own problem by creating an inter-disciplinary network.

　In conclusion, I would like to renew my sincere wishes that the STS forum, held here in Kyoto every year will continue concentrating the wisdom of world leaders to discuss the effective use of science and technology for the future of the earth and the sustainable development of humankind, and will further contribute to the future of humanity.

　Thank you very much for your kind attention.

Your Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentleman,

　It is my great pleasure to be invited to the official ceremony to mark the important 150th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between Japan and Denmark. Once again, I sincerely welcome the visit to Japan by Your Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary.

　Their Royal Highnesses extended a warm welcome to me when I visited Denmark last June and offered me their very courteous hospitality by, among other things, attending various events with me and hosted an intimate dinner for me. During my visit, while enjoying the wonderful weather, I had a precious opportunity to appreciate historic items associated with the Royal Family of Denmark and the Imperial House of Japan, as well as the wind-power generator which is a collaborative work between Japan and Denmark. I was impressed by the friendly relationship established over the past 150 years between Japan and Denmark, and am confident that the strong bond between our two countries will continue in the future.

　The day before yesterday, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik visited again Higashi-Matsushima City in Miyagi Prefecture which suffered a devastating damage from the Great East Japan Earthquake. When His Royal Highness visited the city in June 2011 immediately after the disaster, I can imagine how much the local people were encouraged by his visit. I learned that during this visit, His Royal Highness met the children with whom he had played soccer in 2011. I am deeply grateful that the bond of friendship that has arisen from the visit after the disaster now still remains strong. On the same day, Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mary payed a visit to Funabashi Andersen Park in Chiba Prefecture. I heard that it was her second visit to the park, and that she was again able to see those children whom she had met twelve years ago. Although I am the Honourary President for the 150th Anniversary of the Japan-Denmark Diplomatic Relations, I have never been there, and so I would like to spare some time in the future to visit the park, and then to catch up with Crown Princess Mary.

　Lastly, I would like to express my sincere wish for the further development of the friendly relationship between our two countries, and the success and prosperity for Your Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary, as well as for all of you attending here tonight.

　Thank you very much.

Dr Asamura and Dr Park, Co-Presidents of the 18th World Conference on Lung Cancer,
Excellencies,
Distinguished guests and participants,
Ladies and gentlemen,

　It is a great pleasure for me, together with all of you present here today, to witness the Opening Ceremony of the 18th World Conference on Lung Cancer organised by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer.

　I understand that this conference aims at amassing a broad range of wisdom and knowledge derived from the domains of basic medical science, public health and clinical medicine to tackle the intractable global disease, namely lung cancer, and thus to improve the level of lung cancer treatment in the hope of saving as many patients as possible. I am very delighted to hear that new developments in recent years, particularly in the domains of molecular biology and immunology, have led to improvements in clinical treatment results, which have benefitted many patients.

　I believe that the fact that so many researchers from around the globe have gathered together in this conference to present their latest achievements and share them among themselves, will greatly encourage many patients who are undergoing treatment for lung cancer as well as their family members. It is also encouraging that there will be a lot of extensive patient support programs and advocacy programs to be held during this conference.

　The theme of this conference is "Synergy to Conquer Lung Cancer." I firmly believe that, as this theme indicates, your friendly rivalry, surpassing national borders and regional boundaries, as well as traversing domains of specialty and professions, will indeed act as the driving force to stimulate new advancement in thoracic medical treatment.

　In closing, I would like to express my best wishes for the success of all of you in your respective future endeavors.

　Thank you.

Your Royal Highness Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan,
Excellencies,
Distinguished participants,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

　It is my great pleasure to witness that the Science Centre World Summit 2017 is to be held with so many participants from Japan and abroad.

　I understand that science centres have until now promoted hands-on, enquiry-based learning, which has been of service to many people, including children, who in the future will play important roles in deepening the understanding of science.

　Today, the world faces many serious challenges. Global warming, increasing risks of natural disasters, such as water shortage and floods, and infectious diseases are just a few. These wide-ranging global issues bring about expectations on the contribution of new scientific knowledge and technology in solving them. At the same time, in order to utilize this knowledge and technology on a wide basis and to share the benefits globally, the cooperation across countries, regions and disciplines is necessary. Moreover, it is also essential to transfer and develop knowledge and technology over succeeding generations. To this end, I believe the importance of science centres is growing more than ever before to serve as places to connect science and technology, and a variety of people in society, and to foster the activities for the future.

　Against this backdrop, it is timely that the Science Centre World Congress, which had been held every three years since its inauguration in 1996, evolved into the Summit Meeting held in Belgium in 2014. There was a wider participation from industry, research institutions, administrative organisations and other stakeholders from more varied fields in order to discuss the role of science centres and related institutions among people and beyond countries and disciplines.

　It has come to my attention that, before this Summit, world science centre networks had adopted the Tokyo Protocol as a guideline for action for science centres toward the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It is my hope that in the course of this Summit, various experiences will be shared and that active discussions will open up new horizons.

　In closing, I would like to express my sincere hope that the participants of this Summit will deepen their mutual understanding and friendship, share a vision and ways for a sustainable future, and take other important steps forward for the achievement of a better society.

　Thank you.