Prime Minister and LDP President Shinzo Abe spoke at a graduation ceremony for Japan Coast Guard officers before their assignment to what will often be difficult and grueling duties, such as patrolling the waters off the Senkaku Islands. "The Japanese people are depending on you, and I hope you will fulfill your duties honorably," he told them. He encouraged them to have a strong sense of mission in their work guarding the country's borders and responding to maritime accidents and disasters.

<March 19 (Saturday), Maizuru, Kyoto>