May 11 - During my recent visit to Niigata Prefecture, I called on a very special friend of the United States, Mr. Toshiyuki Tanaka. We at the United States Embassy have been concerned for quite some time about the declining number of Japanese students studying in the United States, and we are looking for ways to reverse this decline. For that reason, we very much appreciate Mr. Tanaka's decision to support youth exchanges. He has very generously funded youth scholarships that finance two Japanese students studying in the United States and one American student coming to Japan to study each school year.

Mr. Tanaka took me to his home, where I met his family and many of the workers at his company. Over a delicious lunch of soba (made from rice flour), and tempura, we talked about the importance of youth exchanges. I told Mr. Tanaka that my experience as a high school exchange student in Japan totally changed my life. Before coming to Japan at age 16, I knew very little about this country. But after living with a Japanese family for a year and making many friends in a Japanese high school, I gained a much deeper appreciation for Japanese culture. It was that experience that led to my becoming an American diplomat.

There are thousands upon thousands of Japanese who support these youth exchange programs by donating money to worthy programs, opening up their homes to house a foreign student, or helping a struggling foreign student learn Japanese, as my teachers so patiently did with me. I cannot thank all of them in person, as I did that day to Mr. Tanaka. But I wanted to let you know through this blog that I appreciate your generous support for youth exchange programs. As I said to Mr. Tanaka that day, these exchange programs represent an investment in continuing strong relations between the United States and Japan. It is the young students who choose to study abroad today who will be our leaders in politics, government service, and business tomorrow.

Until next time,

Jim