It is my great pleasure to have the opportunity today to exchange views with a distinguished gathering of business leaders in the Kansai region. I would like to take this chance to express my sincerest gratitude for your cooperation with the activities of the Bank of Japan's branches in Osaka, Kobe, and Kyoto. When I visited this region last year, I had the opportunity to tour the construction site of Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai. Since then, I have wished for the Expo's success, and since its opening this April, I have been delighted to see it thriving every day, welcoming over 22 million general visitors from Japan and ... (full story)