MAIN PAGE | EVENTS & PROGRAMS | 2001 | IGM | SPEECHES | YOSHIRO MORI
PACIFIC BASIN ECONOMIC COUNCIL
MAIN PAGE | EVENTS & PROGRAMS | 2001 | IGM | SPEECHES | YOSHIRO MORI
Regional Vitality in the 21st Century
April 6-10, 2001 — Tokyo, Japan
His Excellency Yoshiro Mori
Your Imperial Highnesses the Crown Prince and Princess, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, It is a great pleasure for me to be able to give this address to the business leaders of the Asia-Pacific region on the occasion of the 34th International General Meeting of the Pacific Basin Economic Council, the first IGM to be held in Japan in almost ten years. In the last ten years, the status of the Asia-Pacific region in the global economy has risen enormously. In that time, we have overcome hard times, including the Asian economic crisis, sustained economic growth of close to 5%, which exceeds the global average, and we have truly led the world economy. The Asia-Pacific region is expected to be the engine of global economic growth in the 21st century as well. However, it is also true that there are a variety of problems in the Asia-Pacific region. For example, some Southeast Asian countries are still struggling for political stability in the wake of the Asian economic crisis. In Japan, the current administration has been making concerted efforts to advance structural reform in the economy, in order to resolve three excesses generated by the burst of the bubble economy: excess plant investment, employment, and debt. The US economy has experienced a long period of prosperity, but recently some minor causes of concern have also increased. Amidst the development of globalization and interdependence, I am acutely aware that it is necessary for us to recognize our close mutual ties and to unite in tackling problems with the understanding that the economic problems of one nation instantaneously impact on other nations. As a result of the IT revolution, the whole globe is now connected by a network that enables us to exchange information instantly and work together. The IT revolution, which will also be the key to development in the next generation in the Asia-Pacific region, is currently progressing rapidly, but it is important for the countries of the Asia-Pacific region to work together to ensure that all people will receive the fruits of the IT revolution. Based on this perspective, at last July's Kyushu-Okinawa Summit, we adopted the "Okinawa Charter on the Global Information Society," the so-called IT Charter, and we have already begun measures to eliminate international information disparities. The APEC Summit Meeting last November established the objective of enabling all people in the Asia-Pacific region to have access to the Internet by 2010. While this IT-based network is important, what is even more essential is the ties between people that form the basis for friendly relationships between countries. The human network that PBEC has developed so far in the business world will form the foundation for future prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region. In addition to business networks such as PBEC, the Asia-Pacific region also has political and administrative networks such as APEC. Those of us who are involved in politics hope to work together with people in the business world on the creation of close networks in the Asia-Pacific region. It is not only the economic relationship that ties the various nations of the Asia-Pacific region together. We are also linked by the Pacific Ocean. I was born in a town called Neagari-machi in Ishikawa Prefecture on the Japan Sea, and I lived in the city of Kanazawa until high school. Watching ships go out to the Pacific Ocean from Kanazawa's harbor, I felt that the sea was a stage for international communication. Rather than dividing countries, the oceans connect countries and promote communication. I hope that we will be able to create an "Asia-Pacific civilization" here in the Pacific in the same way that a Mediterranean civilization existed in that region. I recall the outstanding work "The Mediterranean" by French historian Fernand Braudel. In the work, which vividly paints the events and lifestyles of people in 16th century Mediterranean civilization, Braudel wrote, "The Mediterranean is a thing of man's creation. It is not water that binds the regions of the Mediterranean, but people." As one of the people living on the Pacific Ocean, I too hope to make a contribution to the development of close friendly relationships in the Asia-Pacific region as a true community and the creation of an "Asia-Pacific civilization" that we can be proud of. I would like to express my hope that during the three day conference beginning today there will be useful discussions leading to further development in the Asia-Pacific region. Thank you. |
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