George H.W. Bush: “January 7, 1992 Thank you all very, very much, all of you. And may I first thank Governor Kakimoto and Mayor Miura for…”

“January 7, 1992 Thank you all very, very much, all of you. And may I first thank Governor Kakimoto and Mayor Miura for their gracious hospitality and say to all of you that it really is, for Barbara and me, a deep honor to visit this ancient and venerable city of Kashihara right here in Japan. And may I thank Minister Watanabe for being here. His ministry did so much to change the great retail store law, and I am personally very grateful to him for taking the time to be with us today. And Mr. Charles Lazarus, thank you, sir, for your introduction. It's a pleasure being at your side and sharing your joy in the successful opening of Toys-R-Us. When our grandchildren heard about this trip to the Far East, they figured the highlight would be today, stopping at Toys-R-Us. And I'll just have to tell them I couldn't buy them anything because Barbara has cut my kozukai, my allowance, that is. [Laughter] What we see here today is success for Japanese consumers as well as for ourselves in the effort to eliminate a major barrier in the Japanese distribution system. For years, American retailers have sought to compete in the Japanese market. And after all, Japan has the second largest economy in the world, and its consumers are increasingly demanding wider choices for themselves and their families, lower prices, and certainly uncompromising quality.…”