PACIFIC BASIN ECONOMIC COUNCIL
MAIN PAGE | EVENTS & PROGRAMS | 2001 | IGM | SPEECHES | THE CROWN PRINCE

Additional Info: Policy Statements Speeches Photos Speakers & Noted Participants Featured Biographies Registration Media Information Conference Statement Regional Vitality in the 21st Century April 6-10, 2001 — Tokyo, Japan His Imperial Highness The Crown Prince of Japan It gives me great pleasure to be able to attend this Opening Plenary Session of the 34th International General Meeting of the Pacific Basin Economic Council (PBEC) in Tokyo, in the company of all the participants from Japan and the other member counrties of the Asia-Pacific region. The PBEC was established in 1967 by business leaders from several countries, including Japan, to elicit cooperation among the member countries for the development and prosperity of national economies in the Asia-Pacific region. Since then, the number of member countries has increased, and their business leaders, as members of the private sector, have approached governments and international organizations to work for free trade and increase of capital investment. In this way, I am told, they have contributed greatly to regional cooperation and economic development Compared with 34 years ago, the economies of the Asia-Pacific region have made amazing progress. This is beyond doubt due to the efforts of local business leaders to pool ther knowledge and experience in order to solve the many problems they encountered. For this reason also, the role of the PBEC is destined to become ever more important in the economic life of the region. The countries of the world are becoming interdependent at an unprecedented rate, and there has never been an era like the present where national economies, while retaining their respective characteristics, have been faced with the necessity of mutual cooperation. I conclude with the wish that all the participants here from the Asia-Pacific countries will conduct serious, uninhibited discussions on regional economic development and social welfare, to help revitalize society in the 21st century.