Statement by Kengo Sakurada, Chairman of Keizai Doyukai
on the Passing of Former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone

November 29, 2019

Kengo Sakurada
Chairman, Keizai Doyukai

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I am saddened by the news of the passing of Mr. Yasuhiro Nakasone, the former prime minister of Japan, and offer my deepest condolences to his family.

Mr. Nakasone described his credo as "Sengo seiji no sōkessan," literally meaning "Toward a new political regime based on the review of postwar politics," and paved the way for a series of reforms. His most significant achievement is in the area of administrative reforms, where he tackled fiscal consolidation without tax increase, in the Second Extraordinary Administrative Research Council. The unprecedented reforms, such as privatization of Japanese National Railways, Japan Tobacco & Salt Public Corporation, and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Public Corporation, would have never borne fruit without the strong leadership of Mr. Nakasone.

On June 21, 2005, the former prime minister gave a speech to Keizai Doyukai with a title meaning "Where we are now sixty years after the war and where we are going next." He stated that we must figure out where we stand now from the perspectives of history, stressing the importance of formulating our nation's fundamental policy.

Japan, a front-runner in taking on newly emerging challenges, must now sincerely face the essential questions from the former prime minister, and explore prospects for the future.

May the soul of Mr. Yasuhiro Nakasone rest in peace.

Japanese version