[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 94 (Wednesday, July 19, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S7224]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                  THE JAPAN-AMERICA STUDENT CONFERENCE

 Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, today I would like to offer a 
special tribute to the oldest university student exchange forum between 
Japan and the United States, the Japan-America Student Conference 
(JASC). Founded sixty-six years ago at the initiative of a group of 
Japanese students who were concerned about deteriorating U.S.-Japan 
relations, the month-long Conference has since convened on fifty-two 
annual occasions, alternating between the two countries.
  This year, the Conference will open on July 21st at Tokai 
University's Honolulu campus, then move on to the University of North 
Carolina, Washington, DC, and New York City, and will conclude at the 
Reischauser Institute for Japanese Studies at Harvard University on 
August 21st. The sixty-two delegates, half from each country and, 
representing some thirty-four university campuses, will address such 
topics as: business practices, environmental issues, philosophy and 
religion, historical perspectives, and third world policies, against 
the thematic backdrop of ``Developing New Approaches to Promote Social 
Change.''
  JASC is completely designed and implemented by students. Delegates 
elect Japanese and American Executive Committees at the conclusion of 
each Conference who manage, plan, and select delegates for the next 
year's event. Many alumni of the conference have gone on to distinguish 
themselves in the business, academic, and governmental arenas of their 
respective societies. Most notable among them is Kiichi Miyazawa, 
former Prime Minister and current Finance Minister of Japan, who 
participated in the 1939 and 1940 Conferences, and Henry Kissinger, 
former U.S. Secretary of State, who participated in the 1951 
Conference. A common denominator among the highly diverse delegate 
community is a deep interest in knowing more about the U.S. and Japan, 
which can lead to careers relevant to the bilateral relationship.
  Thirty intense days of travel and dialogue with each other foster 
better understanding and trust between the cultures, and, more 
importantly, friendships that endure for decades. As one delegate 
observed, ``JASC is not a destination; it is a journey that does not 
conclude.''

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