[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 98 (Thursday, July 18, 2002)]
[House]
[Page H4876]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          HONORING U.S.-JAPAN MARITIME YOUTH EXCHANGE PROGRAM

  (Mr. GUTKNECHT asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks and include 
extraneous material.)
  Mr. GUTKNECHT. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor the U.S.-Japan 
Maritime Youth Exchange Program. This program brings together high 
school age students from Japan and the United States for a 3-week 
program of travel and study in both countries.
  It was developed and funded in 1996 through a partnership between the 
U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation here in Washington and Mr. Kaoru 
Hasegawa, an unsuccessful World War II Japanese kamikaze pilot and now 
president of Rengo Company, Limited, in Japan.
  Mr. Hasegawa was shot down and then rescued by the crew of the USS 
Callaghan back in World War II. When the survivors of the Callaghan 
invited Mr. Hasegawa to attend their reunion several years ago, it was 
a very emotional reunion. The desire to share their new-found goodwill 
and understanding with the next generation of Americans and Japanese 
led to the creation of the Maritime Youth Exchange Program.
  The program's purpose is to teach participants about the historical, 
cultural and economic factors that impact the two countries' maritime 
policies and practices. With understanding, respect, teamwork and 
friendship, the program will work to create a healthy partnership for 
the future of these two great countries.
  Mr. Speaker, I will leave the names of all of the participants, and I 
congratulate them and wish them the best of luck during their travels.
  Mr. Speaker, I include the list of participants for the Record.

       Adam Meyer of Cary, North Carolina; Titus Wong of Des 
     Plaines, Illinois; Juliet Bintliff of Corpus Christi, Texas; 
     Caroline Toole of Mountain Home, Arkansas; Ashley Thompson of 
     Cincinnati, Ohio; Andrea Claycomb of Euclid, Ohio; Tatsuaki 
     Takanashi of Nagano, Japan; Terumi Tabata of Kagoshima, 
     Japan; Shoko Ishigami of Hyogo, Japan; Yuka Sakai of Saitama, 
     Japan; and Akiko Hasebe of Tokyo, Japan.

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