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The Summit School for the Next Generation starts to offer the youth a chance to talk with Japanese diplomats active on the global stage
The Summit School for the Next Generation program was launched by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the Citizens Council for the Hiroshima Summit with the goal of deepening understanding among the youth of the G7 Hiroshima Summit and the work MOFA performs. The Summit School offers the opportunity to meet members of MOFA who are active on the global stage, and to learn more about their work and international affairs.
Hiroshima Prefectural Akiminami Senior High School served as the venue for the first session of the Summit School for the Next Generation, held on January 10th. Another session was held on the following day, January 11th, at Hiroshima Municipal Funairi High School, providing students an excellent occasion to learn in detail about the significance of holding the G7 Summit in Hiroshima and the organization and role of MOFA.
A wide-ranging presentation on the G7 Hiroshima Summit and MOFA’s work at Hiroshima Prefectural Akiminami High School
Hara Kotono, Assistant Secretary-General for the G7 Hiroshima Summit, was the featured speaker at Hiroshima Prefectural Akiminami High School. Hara, who was also involved in the G7 Ise-Shima Summit in 2016, described her diplomatic experience and discussed how hundreds of Foreign Ministry officials would do their best to oversee the G7 Summit. She also offered a detailed discussion of the origin and role of MOFA as well as the history and importance of the G7 Summits.
Hara explained that the most urgent and important issues facing the global community are discussed at the G7, including the global economy, diplomatic security, climate change, energy, and health, adding that “the G7 is a diplomatic event which commands global attention. This will be an excellent opportunity to showcase Hiroshima’s appeal. We also hope the Summit will encourage you—the younger generation—to consider social and global issues. We encourage you to apply your flexible thinking, power of imagination, and ability for decisive action to generate unique solutions.” Around 400 students who listened with keen attention seemed to have a new appreciation for the value of hosting the G7 in Hiroshima.
Two students shared their impressions following the presentation. “I had heard about the G7 Hiroshima Summit in the news, but I gained a more detailed understanding today,” commented Shizukawa Yota, a junior. Takehara Rio, also a junior, added that, “We discovered that the G7 Summit is actually related to us in various ways. Of course, we’d like to do everything possible to promote Hiroshima, and hope to be proactive in whatever else we are able to do.”
Yokoyama Tatsuya, a social studies teacher at Akiminami High School, observed, “I was surprised to hear that G7 Summit-related matters are reported by the media differently from one country to another. I would like to include discussion about the G7 in my classes to convey to my students the importance of viewing the world from various perspectives.”
Roundtable discussion: exploring the Summit’s significance and getting to know Foreign Ministry officials (Hiroshima Municipal Funairi High School)
Tanaka Noriko, Deputy Assistant Secretary-General for the G7 Hiroshima Summit, spoke to about 640 students at Hiroshima Municipal Funairi High School. In addition to addressing the history and work of the Ministry, Tanaka, a Hiroshima native, remarked that, “Hosting the G7 Summit in the city where the atomic bomb was dropped is very significant for achieving peace in the international community.”
Tanaka related that, in the course of her diplomatic work, she discovered how many global citizens remain unaware that August 6th marks the day of the atomic bombing, urging that “war must never happen. I hope each of you who live in this city will take your own Hiroshima story and communicate it to the world.”
A roundtable discussion followed the lecture, with Tanaka seated in the middle. The 13 students asked the speaker questions about international exchange and the work at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in addition to asking how Tanaka began her diplomatic career and how she learned foreign languages.
“Do you need to learn a new language after joining MOFA?” Tanaka was asked by a student interested in working overseas. “Of course,” she replied. “Some departments deal with specialized languages. If you commit to becoming an expert, you can learn a brand-new language sufficiently enough to participate in international conferences within a few years of joining the Ministry.” The energy exuded by the enthusiastic students participating in the roundtable discussion was felt by all those present.
Yanagi Tomoko, Principal of Hiroshima Municipal Funairi High School, observed that, “In addition to enlightening the students on the G7, today’s presentation covered the work of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, playing a part as career counseling. I hope that this G7 Summit will motivate each student to think and act on their own, and to realize that they are a major force for social change. I also hope they will become adults capable of promoting Hiroshima to the world.”
By March 2023, officials will visit 23 schools in Hiroshima Prefecture, including junior and senior high schools as well as vocational schools, as part of the Summit School for the Next Generation program.