The following is a provisional translation, provided by the government, of the full text of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's policy speech delivered Monday before the Diet:
1. Introduction
Almost two months have passed since that scorching summer day of the general election, and almost 40 days since I was designated prime minister and a new Cabinet was inaugurated based on a policy agreement of the three-party coalition consisting of the Democratic Party of Japan, the Social Democratic Party and Kokumin Shinto (People's New Party).
In the general election, the people of Japan chose to have a change of government. It is the first time for this to occur materially since democracy took root in Japan.