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| Newsletter
No.65 |
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August
2004
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International Relations Summer Conference
Takashi Ebihara
Takashi Ebihara participated as an ESU London scholarship
recipient in the International Relations Summer Conference
(July 11-17) held by ESU London.
About 30 persons proposed by ESUs in 20 nations gathered
at Oxford UniversityÕs Oriel College for a lively exchange
of views. Themes discussed spanned the fields of knowledge
of this well-informed group and covered a broad range
of topical issues including security problems, globalization,
business logic, school education, and culture. Participants
were of various ages and backgrounds and included students,
teachers, leaders of NGOs, those from the legal profession,
and businessmen. Added to this was wide geographical diversity,
making for extremely stimulating discussion.
The chance to debate issues such as genocide, geopolitical problems, and regionalism with citizens of countries directly concerned such as Sierra Leone, Serbia-Montenegro, Georgia, and Lithuania, was extremely worthwhile, even if such discussions seemed somewhat remote from Japan. Moreover, participants from Eastern and Central European countries and others including China, whose pace of economic development is rapid, spoke about the contributions of Japanese enterprises locally and the ever-expanding investment, reminding me once more of the global reach of Japanese industry.
From the discussion groups on individual themes there remains a special impression of the considerable energy member countries are expending in the process of enlarging the EU in the effort to create "one Europe". Both the merits and demerits of unification are numerous, and I was impressed in particular by the high degree of awareness of the European participants of the problems being faced in the various areas such as human rights and economics. In this yearÕs program an opportunity to see the actual stage of ShakespeareÕs theater at the Globe, in London, was included. At the same time as being deeply impressed, I was also conscious of how much I still have to learn about culture and the arts. In the discussion about culture, we found many topics of conversation about Japanese culture and the arts, and I felt extremely proud as a Japanese at times. Finally, participants from many countries expressed deep concern about the education system in their countries and were searching by trial and error for solutions, just like in Japan. The extremely simple question "What is Education?" proved very difficult to answer. In the debate, the opinion was expressed that education is the "art of living", which seemed reasonable to me.
This one week program was bursting with content, and very stimulating intellectually. More than anything, I thought the chance to make many friends with the same aspirations was the most valuable opportunity. I would like to deeply thank everyone at ESUJ for giving me this most worthwhile opportunity and also everyone from ESU London who hosted the program.
A Midsummer NightÕs Dream, ESUJ goes to the Races
ESUJ members gathered in the VIP Room on the fifth floor of the recently completed L-Wing of Oi Race Course, just two stops from Tokyo MonorailÕs Hamamatsucho Station at Oi Keibajo-mae, to take part in a new activity, "Enjoy Racing". Over thirty people attended, half of whom were non-Japanese. Guests included former Indian Ambassador Aftab Seth and Mrs. Seth and diplomats from the Romanian and Bulgarian Embassies, as well as ESUJ members and their guests. The heat of the day having given away to cool breezes, the course was bathed with in the light of sparkling decorations. Racing specialist Mr. Glen Boothe gave an explanation of betting procedure. Cradling a glass of wine in one hand, participants filled in their betting cards while checking the odds and the information on the screen. Everything was automated from purchase of betting tickets to cashing in the winning tickets. When the fanfare sounded, the thoroughbreds were off like an arrow all at the same time. Outside the VIP room on the terrace could be heard cries of encouragement and the joy of winning, as well as sighs. Who was able to realize their own mid-summer nightÕ dream, I wonder? It was a delightful evening.
ESUJ Luncheon: Secrets of Success of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in Italy
A meeting in the series of ESUJ Luncheons for supporting members and others was held on Thursday, July 8 at the Ark Hills Club, with 30 people attending. The speaker was Mr Hajime Kobayashi, who was dispatched to Italy to work with and lead the employees of TorayÕs Milan subsidiary for 13 years. This was a talk full of charm, with stories about how Toray found the key to high profit and became Number One among Italian enterprises thanks to Alancantra, its originally-developed leading product, as well as the Italian-style enjoyment of life in which owners of mid-sized enterprises live in houses like castles.
English Club
Masumi MuramatsuÕs English Club met on Tuesday, July 20 in the conference room of the Nihon Keizai Shimbun. In June, MM attended the annual conference of the International Society of Humor Studies as JapanÕs representative director, held in Dijon, France. He showed a video made at the conference and described the proceedings. Mr Yoshiaki Ueda also gave a report of the conference. The clubÕs "song corner" featured AustraliaÕs "Waltzing Matilda" with a delightful introduction of Banjo Paterson, the composer of the song, by fellow countryman Paul Conroy. Among other things, this content-filled evening included a general review of MMÕs bi-weekly essays from recent issues the Nikkei Weekly.
English Club will take a summer vacation in August
and reconvene on Tuesday, September 21.
See you in September!
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For
further informaiton contact!
E-MAIL:esuj@esuj.gr.jp
Fujikage-Building
9th Floor, Motoakasaka 1-1-5
MInato-ku, Tokyo 107-0051
TEL: 03-3423-0970 FAX: 03-3423-0971
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