Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama made his first keynote address to the Diet on Monday. He should be commended for summing up his "politics of fraternity" in his own words — thus dumping the practice of pasting together sentences written by bureaucrats from various ministries.

In elucidating his political philosophy, he made it clear that his politics of fraternity will set out to create a nation of "popular sovereignty" in which the aim of politics is to treasure human life and protect people's standard of daily life. His main theme was strengthening human bonds. He said he will dedicate all his strength to bringing about a Japanese society whose members offer support to each other — recognizing that all people are invaluable — and where each person can discover a "place he or she belongs" and a "role to play."

Mr. Hatoyama gave his 52-minute speech a personal touch by mentioning his encounter during the election campaign with an old woman whose son killed himself after he couldn't find a job. It is commendable that he mentioned the sad fact that more than 30,000 people take their lives out of despair every year in Japan. He also mentioned his visit to a leading dustless-chalk factory where disabled people work.