Adios Amigos! I Go Too A Far, Far Better Place...

It is not often that a minister rides off into the sunset, saying to his successor:

"Adios! I expect you'll be an improvement on me."

Then again during his brief stint as Minister of Defense, Tanaka Naoki did and said the most remarkable things.

Of course, he did not say "Adios!"

What he did say was:

「森本大臣の下で、さらに防衛省・自衛隊の活動が活発になることを期待している」

Morimoto daijin no shita de, sara ni boeisho, jieitai no katsudou ga kappatsu ni naru koto o kitai shite iru.

"Under Minister Morimoto, I expect that the the activities of the Ministry of Defense and the Self Defense Forces will become all the more dynamic."

(Link)

Of course, Tanaka was being self-deprecating. However, considering his achievements, or the startling lack of them, self-deprecation was probably not the best route to take.