Aug. 13 - Earlier this month I met three impressive American high school students from the Harker School in San Jose, California. They had won the 17th annual "Japan Bowl" contest for American students studying Japanese. The Japan Bowl is a national academic competition sponsored by the Japan-America Society of Washington, D.C. during the National Cherry Blossom Festival. Teams from across the United States compete to answer questions on subjects such as Japanese history, geography, language, culture and current events. This year 183 students representing 63 teams competed. I congratulated the Harker students for winning from among so many competitors.

All three students were extremely impressive. One plans to study applied physics at Princeton University. Another wants to be a diplomat and hopes to be accepted at Georgetown University. All three have excelled in their study of the Japanese language and culture. When I asked them why they had chosen to study Japanese, one told me that since he was a small boy he liked Japanese "manga." Another told me that she was attracted to Japan because of her interest in "anime." The third said she chose Japanese because her friends were studying this language.

My conversation with these students made me feel good about the future of U.S.-Japan relations. Our future depends on bright, hardworking students such as these who are learning a difficult language in order to bridge our cultural and linguistic differences. I was extremely glad to learn that young Americans are attracted to the study of Japanese because they are interested in modern Japanese society. I have also met many Japanese students who are working as hard to master English. Young students such as these will steer our relationship in the future. If these three promising students are any indication, then our relationship will be in good hands.

Until next time,

Jim