I would like to offer my congratulations on the inauguration of President Trump.

The United States plays a leading role in a diverse range of fields worldwide, including politics, economics, security, technology, and culture and the arts. The responsibilities assumed by the president who governs such a superpower are therefore of vital importance, and I think that people in the United States and others all around the world awaited the inauguration of a new president with great anticipation.

The United States is Japan's ally; the two countries are bound together by strong ties of trust and friendship. The United States is also Japan's most important partner, reflecting an excellent relationship maintained over many years. On the economic front as well, our two countries have built an extremely close relationship of interdependence. Japanese companies have made a significant contribution to the US economy and to expanding US exports, most notably by making direct investments in the United States amounting to $411 billion and directly or indirectly creating 1.7 million jobs. This relationship between Japan and the United States is the strongest, most important bilateral relationship in the world, and it needs to be perpetuated and developed further in future.

The world currently faces many serious challenges, including not only the stabilization and development of the global economy, but also maintenance and expansion of free trade and investment, environmental and energy-related issues, and the fight against terrorism. In these circumstances it is essential for Japan and the United States to collaborate even more closely and work harder than ever for worldwide prosperity.

We in Japan's business community will continue to watch the United States with great anticipation and interest to see how it leads the world under its new president.

At the same time, Keidanren will seek to advance mutual understanding with the Trump administration regarding the further development of the US-Japan relationship, as well as other key matters—such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the COP21 Paris Agreement—that contribute to stability and development, not only for our two countries, but also for the world as a whole.