TOKYO, July 27 -- Prime Minister and His Cabinet issued the following information:
[Provisional Translation]
[Opening Statement by Prime Minister Takaichi]
Good evening, everyone, and thank you for being here.
About a year ago, at the time of the House of Councillors election last July, I was simply one member of the House of Representatives, not holding an official post in either the Government or the House. Even so, many candidates asked me to deliver speeches in support of their campaigns, and as I traveled across the country, I repeatedly heard young people say that the policies of the Liberal Democratic Party lacked a vision for the future.
Amid rising prices, rice shortages, and declining industrial competitiveness, I was acutely...