LONDON -- In his Sept. 29 policy speech, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stressed that he wanted to construct "an open economy full of vitality."

"I will develop a Japanese Cultural Industry Strategy that will reinforce Japan's international competitiveness and capability to dispatch information to the world in the field of contents, including animation and music, as well as food culture, and traditional culture," he declared.

He also expressed his intention of making Japan a conduit between Asia and the rest of the world for flows of people, goods, money, culture and information.