Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Wednesday visited small and midsize companies in Higashiosaka, Osaka Prefecture, to observe businesses that have achieved success on the technological front amid the ongoing economic slump.
At optical lens manufacturer Yamamoto Kogaku Co., whose major products are optical glasses used by sports players, Koizumi tried on a pair of special glasses that prevent the wearer from seeing laser beams.
"These are magical glasses," Koizumi said. "Those people saying I'm not proceeding fast enough with my structural reforms must be wearing some sort of strange colored glasses. That's why they don't see" the result of the reforms.
Koizumi was in a good mood during his visit, signing photographs taken during his visit in Egypt in May, when he wore sunglasses produced by Yamamoto Kogaku.
Koizumi also visited Cluster Technology Co., which produces visual-equipment parts.
During the visit, Koizumi was given an explanation on how to utilize nanotechnology for industrial production.
Nanotechnology is an emerging field that deals with the manipulation of matter on molecular and atomic levels. A nanometer compared with a meter is akin to a marble compared with a planet.
"Can it not be seen by the naked eyes?" he asked. "I understand that only clean, still places like here are suitable" for nanotechnology.
