Yoshihiko Noda

“I feel very keenly the eyes of the foreign media on our country. And I think a lot of Japanese people feel that things are not working the way they should. When the time comes, I will put myself forward.”

“There's a tendency for the yen to strengthen because it's rated highly, but I don't think that accurately reflects Japan's economic performance.”

“It is my policy to deepen the Japan-U.S. alliance and to deepen security and economic relations as well as personal exchanges.”

“When I became prime minister last September, I promised the Japanese people that I would not tolerate the politics of indecision. A propensity to delay difficult and weighty decisions has been hurting our country. It is detrimental to our economy, society and future, and it cannot be allowed to continue.”

“Government bonds have basically been sold in the domestic market, so there is some sense of stability, but the amount of public debt is really severe... Japan must manage its finances with a sense of urgency.”

“Interactions between fathers and children are the starting point of education.”

“I think it is not necessary at this time to put forth a grand vision such as an East Asian Community. What we must do before that is create scenarios for Japan's response in case of a serious territorial incident.”

“With regard to North Korea, between myself and President Obama earlier, with regard to the so-called launch of satellite, the missile launch, we shared the view that it undermines the efforts of the various countries concerned to achieve the resolution through dialogue.”

“Japan's alliance with the U.S. will only grow in importance amid the increasingly difficult security situation surrounding our country, thus I think it is necessary to keep the marines in Okinawa, a geographically strategic location from the standpoint of maintaining deterrence.”

“We must draw on the unique strengths of the Japanese economy, seek an open and cooperative approach with our international partners, and intelligently exploit the promise of new growth areas.”

“I think the forms of terrorism are becoming very diverse, amongst them cyber-terrorism, for example.”

“China's development is an opportunity for the international community, for Japan and for the Asia-Pacific.”

“Japan is the largest creditor country in the world, so we have made contributions to the stability of international markets and we want this IMF meeting to confirm that we will continue to contribute.”

“Japan is already a leader in energy efficiency, and it has a wealth of innovative technologies. We must put this expertise to use creating a model for growth and sustainability that we can share with the world.”

“Our goal is not simply to reconstruct the Japan that existed before March 11, 2011, but to build a new Japan. We are determined to overcome this historic challenge.”

“I am not a hereditary politician and do not have any substantial asset.”

“A society of 'children first' is a society that nurtures smiling faces in everyone.”

“I hope to attend it as Japan needs to tell the world the lessons, knowledge and reflections learned from the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant.”

“The real reform Japan needs is decisive politics when we face issues that need to be decided.”

“It is not productive to see things in simple black and white, and talk in either anti-nuclear or pro-nuclear terms.”