Prime Minister and LDP President Abe attended the graduation ceremony at the National Defense Academy and said to the graduates, who will go on to become officers in the Self-Defense Forces, "It is you who will write new history." He also noted the many difficulties that they would face, including North Korea, which recently fired missiles into Japan's EEZ, heightening the threat to a new level. He also expressed his expectation for them to act with a strong sense of duty and responsibility as leaders in the Self-Defense Forces.

<March 19 (Sunday) Yokosuka, Kanagawa>