ヒューストン若手実務者研修2006 2006年3月18日在ヒューストン日本国総領事 加茂佳彦
Howdy, ladies and gentlemen:
It is my great pleasure to say a few words to welcome you all to the Houston Forum for Young Specialists. The Consulate General of Japan at Houston is very pleased to be able to host this Forum for the first time in the southern United States and is very honored to co-host it in cooperation with Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University.
This forum is made possible by many dedicated people. Dr. Steve Lewis of the Baker Institute and Aki Shimada of the Japanese Consulate spent many hours to plan and prepare this project. I commend and appreciate their hard work and excellent arrangements. I am very proud to say that we have outstanding guest speakers here with us. Our keynote speaker Ambassador Kitaoka is one of the most influential political scientists in Japan and is currently serving as Japan’s Ambassador to the United Nations in New York. We have other strong guest speakers who are acclaimed for their skill and foresight. Later our MC will give us a more eloquent introduction of our speakers. We are pleased to have strong participants as well.
This forum aims to deepen the understanding of Asian issues and to strengthen networks among future leaders in the region from various fields. I would like to congratulate all of you outstanding participants who have been selected to participate in this weekend’s forum highlighting Asia and the opportunities and challenges that this region presents to the world today and in the future.
Why Asia? You may ask. Asia is one of the most dynamic growth centers of the world now. It is driving the world economy. It is providing greater opportunities. It is causing concerns too. With the rise of China and India, it will continue to do so. While the region is full of potential for success and prosperity, it has been left with a cold war structure. The United States has every reason to stay engaged in Asia to secure its global interests and influence.
Why Houson, Texas? Rice University of Houston, Texas has good reasons to win out over MIT of Cambridge, Massachusetts, the previous host institution, in its bid for the conference venue. DID YOU KNOW that the city of Sugar Land, a suburb of Houston community and one of the wealthiest in the nation with the average per-capita annual income of over $100,000 thrives with one third of its population made up of Asians or Asian-Americans? DID YOU KNOW that the top 7 trading partners of the Dallas/Fort Worth area are all Asians—China, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Malaysia, and the Philippines? DID YOU KNOW that Japan is the number 3 foreign job creator in Texas after the UK and France? Houston has witnessed a vibrant Asian community growing over the years and will continue to do so.
One of the objectives of this seminar is to provoke your conventional mind-set and well-established perceptions. So please get ready for that. Our vision tends to be obscured with the perceptions we have entertained. This sometimes makes it difficult for us to face the facts squarely. Bigotry is the thing we cherish least of all. May the breeze from the Gulf of Mexico bring the spirit of free, open and candid discussions to this beautiful campus over the weekend! Your active participation is much needed and encouraged.
In closing, I thank our co-host Ambassador Djerejien of the Baker Institute for his support and encouragement. An emergency duty prevented him from joining us today, but his spirit is here with us.
Thank you.