It's been humid here in Japan. Swampy humid. Like the middle of summer. It wouldn't be so bad if we weren't in suits all day, but it is what it is. I brought plenty of handkerchiefs just in case.
So today, we spent our first full day in Tokyo, which is a misnomer since we had a later morning that usual because we got back so late. It was welcome. Though I didn't actually leave the hotel, I was able to relax and get more done.
But today, we focused on briefings by the JCIE President, Mr. Ken Shibusawa. He gave us an overview of the history of JCIE and where the organization needs to move towards in the future. And that our delegation was significant for a number of reasons, but primarily, as the 29th Delegation to Japan, we were the first to come after the death of the JCIE founder, Tadashi Yamomoto, the man who created the organization because he believed that peace was not just geopolitical and between government, but between people. He created JCIE to have people learn first hand about other countries by going to them and being immersed. We also are the first delegation to see Iwate after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. So it was good to have a historical perspective of the organization and our time with it.
Mr. Shibusawa learned more about us and we discussed a few of the issues that are happening in Japan right now. He spent a lot of time in the US so it was actually the first meeting where we really didn't need translation. Which you don't really notice until you go through it.
After our meeting we met with Mr. Hitoshi Tanaka, a Senior Fellow for JCIE and the Chairman of the Institute for International Strategy. He is also known for negotiating a relationship between Japan and North Korea as a Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan.
He was a wealth of knowledge, giving us insight into how to conduct successful negotiations and understanding diplomacy as well as the delicate relationships in the East Asian region. He really got us to understand the current territorial issues between China and Japan with regard to the Senkaku Islands and the issues between Korea and Japan with regard to the Takeshima Islands. If you aren't following this story because you live in the United States and we so rarely hear decent international news, check it out. It's amazing what is happening in China with the protests and Japan shutting down business in parts of the country. We are here at a rather timely time.
Beyond the current issues of territorial disputes, the issue of nuclear energy in Japan (we're learning more on this tomorrow), he had fascinating insight into the future of the region - but mostly in regard to United States foreign policy as well as the view of the US Presidential Election in the region.
I could have talked to him all day. But it brought me back to my natural interest in not only foreign affairs, but this region specifically - for the most obvious of reasons. Asia has constantly been considered the next rising, or emerging power, in the world and yet, that hasn't necessarily come to fruition. While China and India are consistently looked at as the next real emerging nations, they haven't been able to break past the "emerging" label. It's a fascinating subject I used to really try to dig my teeth into because we are really moving into a more globalized economy - and the implications in the region, whether political, economical, religious or other, all have broad implications not just on foreign policy, but on the stability of the region and the United States.
And another english meeting. We may be getting slightly spoiled.
We then ended the day with a reception hosted by Mark Davidson, the Minister-Counselor for Public Affairs for the US Embassy in Tokyo. We traveled 15 minutes from the hotel to... American soil. And we'll be back again tomorrow.
But there were a host of people at the reception, with different backgrounds - a good smattering of State Department folks from the Embassy, JCIE/ACYPL alumni, organizations that work closely with the exchange program and elected officials and their staff. I got to talk with folks who have served in Tunisia and the Philippines (that particular woman also happened to be a Syracuse University alum, so I found my first connection to home here) and discuss the role of the State Department here, really understand more about specific Prefectures and the local government, Japanese love of baseball, and hell, even the Yankee/Red Sox rivalry. It was a fun night, with amazing food and good company.
So that was our time here today in Tokyo. It might not be very visually exciting to you all, but I can assure you I learned a lot today and ended up with more questions about Japan, the region and the policies than anything else. And it re-sparked my interest in the region.
Tomorrow, we have a full day that begins at the Embassy. But I have plans to get up early and walk because we have been eating really fantastic food, which, while mostly healthy, we've been served food everywhere we go as well as finding new snacks to try in between. Since I don't have a bike here and I might as well explore, tomorrow with start early and end late.
So I'm headed to sleep because I am still struggling with the time difference. Which is horrible since I know that I'll be fully on Japanese time when I leave, which will be super awesome when I get back stateside.
Anyway. I apologize for no picture of the day today, the only exception being because the picture I had taken did not come out well at all and I didn't realize it. I've never seen Hanover pretzels have a cheeseburger flavor. Maybe I'm not looking hard enough. For a reason. If I wanted cheeseburger flavor, I don't think I'd waste it on a pretzel. I'd waste it on an actual cheeseburger. I'm just sayin'.
G'nite, to all five of you who read this. See you at the next report.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Tokyo, Japan
No comments:
Post a Comment