Japan is back and thriving economically with ambitious plans
Shinzo Abe says Japan will open its economy further with partnerships with other countries and do more to empower women, while remaining a proactive contributor to peace
US President Barack Obama is visiting Tokyo at a unique moment in my country's history, with Japan's economy moving onto a stable new growth path that will take full advantage of its location. Japan no longer considers itself the "Far" East; rather, we are at the very centre of the Pacific Rim and a neighbour to the world's growth centre stretching from Southeast Asia to India.
There can be little doubt that this growth centre will continue to propel Japan's economy for the foreseeable future. Japanese direct investment is expanding in Vietnam and India, for example, which will boost demand for Japanese machine tools and capital goods.
But, to maximise its opportunities, Japan must open its economy further and become a country that actively incorporates capital, human resources and wisdom from abroad. Japan must be a country capable of growing by channelling the vitality of a growing Asia.
To this end, we have sharply accelerated the pace of negotiations on economic partnership agreements with various partners around the world. Earlier this month, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and I reached agreement in principle on a Japan-Australia economic partnership agreement.
Next in line is the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which would unite 12 countries in the world's largest trading area.
Both Japan and the United States attach great importance to rules, uphold the principles of freedom and democracy and possess the most advanced technologies and industries. We intend to overcome our differences and together forge, in the form of the TPP, a 21st-century economic order for Asia and the Pacific that will serve as an unshakable foundation for economic growth.