The “new Japanese” are Japanese who are delighted at the prosperity of Asia and the Pacific as their own personal source of joy and who discover values and a reason for living in making Japan a place of hopes and dreams for aspiring young people in the region. They are Japanese that could go beyond their national borders and have a broad-minded sense of self identity.
From China to Japan, dozens of high school students come each year. They spread out all over the Japanese archipelago, spanning the nation north to south, and share their daily lives and their studies with Japanese high school students for a full year.
Without exception, these young men and women are moved by the friendships they have made with their Japanese schoolmates, and go back to their home country shedding tears at the affection they have received from their host families. They head back calling Japan their second home.
I want the “new Japanese” to place even greater importance on that spirit of welcoming non-Japanese with such deep affection.
These “new Japanese” are Japanese who are determined ultimately to take on the peace, order, and stability of this region as their own responsibility.
They are people who possess the drive to shoulder the responsibilities of peace and order in the Asia-Pacific region, working together with our regional partners with whom we share the values of human rights and freedom. |
