Episodes in the Life of Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi

September 1998

1. An Unforgettable Encounter with Robert Kennedy
2. Obuchi Tours 38 Countries as a 26-year-old Graduate Student
3. Promotion of Peaceful Diplomacy by Signing the Total Ban Treaty on Anti-Personnel Mines
4. A Shrewd Judge of Talent and a Doer
5. Obuchi Invites His Subordinates to Suggest Foreign Policy Ideas
6. Obuchi Actively Promotes Parliamentarian Exchanges with Small Countries
7. Obuchi's Philosophy of "National Enrichment and Virtuousness"
8. Five C's, Obuchi's Prescription for Defusing the Economic Crisis in Asia
9. Society for Promoting Regional-Level International Exchanges
10. Making Flowers Bloom Through Untiring Efforts

1. An Unforgettable Encounter with Robert Kennedy

   During his visit to Japan in 1962, then U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy came to Waseda University in Tokyo to deliver a speech. The auditorium was thronged with students sympathetic, as well as those downright hostile, to the foreign policy of the Kennedy Administration. No sooner had he started talking than an activist representing the university's student council interrupted him by loudly demanding to hear his view on the issues of Okinawa, waving an open questionnaire. Unflustered, Kennedy said calmly "We Americans know that peoples of Asia and Africa have views about the future of their own countries which are different from ours. Students of this university and those in the United States are free to express their own views which differ from policies of their government. I wonder whether university students in Communist countries can do so with impunity."
   Hearing this, the students roared their approval and broke out singing in chorus the university song "Miyako-no-Seihoku." Keizo Obuchi, then an undergraduate student of Waseda University, was there witnessing Robert Kennedy fielding questions with serene confidence and came away from the lecture meeting deeply impressed.
   In 1963 Obuchi, then a graduate student majoring in political science, went on a round-the-world trip and stopped over in Washington, D.C. determined to meet Robert Kennedy. But he feared that a man as busy as Attorney General might not have time to see an unknown student from Japan like him. Undaunted, Obuchi wrote to Kennedy before he left for the United States. "I was deeply impressed by the speech you delivered at my university last year," Obuchi began. "I am cherishing a hope to build a political career and work for my country and the world. I, therefore, would appreciate very much if you would kindly take time to see me when I visit your city." A week later, a miracle presented itself. Mr. Kennedy's secretary telephoned Obuchi informing him that an appointment with Kennedy was arranged for him. When Obuchi called, Robert Kennedy told him, among other things, that "from now on, it is the era of your generation." This word of encouragement given by Kennedy, he says, still lingers in his ears.
   When he visited the United States in 1998 as Foreign Minister of Japan, he called on Mrs. Ethel Kennedy at her home in Virginia. During the conversation that ensued, Mrs. Kennedy hummed the Waseda University song "Miyako-no-Seihoku", and she and Obuchi exchanged reminiscences about the tumultuous lecture meeting they watched some 25 years ago. Even today, Robert Kennedy scholarships donated by the Kennedys are being made available to students of Waseda University.

2. Obuchi Tours 38 Countries as a 26-year-old Graduate Student

   Keizo Obuchi entered the School of Literature at Waseda University in 1958 and began studying the works of William Shakespeare. While at the university, he toyed with the idea of becoming a novelist or a newspaper reporter. But as the proverb has it, fortune is fickle. In 1958, when Keizo Obuchi was 21, his father, a Dietman (a member of the House of Representatives) died.
   He made up his mind to follow in his father's footsteps and become a politician, but he had to wait four years before becoming eligible for election. So he decided to spend that time on training himself to fulfill his aspiration. What are the prerequisites for building a successful political career? To start with, he joined Waseda's debating society to acquire effective speaking skills. Aware that a politician must have physical vigor, he also started practicing aikido (a self-defense martial art) and bodybuilding. When he moved on to graduate school, he chose political science as his major.
   When he reached the age of 26 in 1963, no national election was scheduled for the year, so Obuchi decided to travel. "Seeing for oneself is better than reading any travel book," he thought. Obuchi planned a round-the-globe tour to give finishing touch to his political apprenticeship. Today, many Japanese go abroad, but 30 years ago it was quite rare for even a Japanese politician to venture abroad for as long as Obuchi planned. Armed with a travel allowance given to him by his mother, Obuchi set out in January of that year. From Okinawa (then under U.S. administration), he traveled in Taiwan, Thailand, Pakistan, India, and Ceylon (the present Sri Lanka). Obuchi then toured the Middle East, including Iran, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, and stopped over in several African countries. Because of his limited budget, he stayed at cheap tourist accommodations offered by local YMCAs and even slept under the stars at times. By the time he reached Europe in April of that year, Obuchi had run out of money. He managed to eke out a living by doing various jobs - washing dishes in a restaurant, assistant-teaching at an aikido school and lugging equipment for a professional cameraman. One day in September when he was in Argentina, he received a telegram which said, "An election is nearing. Return home as soon as possible, Mother."
   Obuchi hurried back to Japan, and after a month-long campaign he was elected to the House of Representatives at the age of 26, the youngest ever.
   The career politician sums the experiences he gained on his global odyssey in his speech addressed in Singapore May 1998 as follows: "In my travels, I was most impressed at the way people were courageously pursuing their dreams despite suffering from war, poverty and illness, and I was made very much aware of the need for peoples to join hands across borders to create a more secure and more comfortable world."
   The broader and international-minded perspectives he gained during the trip have become an integral part of Obuchi's out-look as a politician.

3. Promotion of Peaceful Diplomacy by Signing the Total Ban Treaty on Anti-Personnel Mines

   On December 3, 1997, Keizo Obuchi signed on behalf of the Government of Japan the Convention on the Prohibition on the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Mines and on Their Destruction.
   In a speech delivered at that meeting, Obuchi told the representatives of the participating countries that "it is said that every day nearly seventy people are killed or wounded due to the landmines and one out of five of those victims is under 15 years of age. I have been seriously tackling the problem of landmines with the highest priority since I became Foreign Minister in September."
   The Defense Agency of Japan, which has some misgivings about the impact the proposed ban might have on its defense capability, and leading world powers such as the United States, Russia, and China, are opposed to the proposed ban. Faced with such obstacles, Obuchi had to make an uneasy decision. Eventually he took the initiative from a broader perspective and signed the treaty anyway. In a conversation he had afterward with Chris Moon, a British member of a nongovernmental organization (NGO) who lost his right arm and leg while defusing a mine in Mozambique and who later carried the Olympic torch at the Nagano Winter Games this year, Obuchi had this to say: "Mankind had spent a colossal sum of money during the Cold War to develop nuclear weapons, and since the end of the Cold War, it is spending a huge sum of money to dismantle them. I wonder if we are doing the sensible thing. But we shouldn't give up the fight for worldwide disarmament. We must continue in our effort to cut armaments and check the spread of weapons of mass destruction by bringing the lessons we have learned from the Cold War to bear on the foreign policies of all countries."
   Obuchi is determined to continue his efforts until such time as the number of anti-personnel mine victims is reduced to zero.

4. A Shrewd Judge of Talent and a Doer

   Obuchi took office as Chief Cabinet Secretary for the Takeshita cabinet in 1987. Nobuo Ishihara who served under him as Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary for about three years said of Obuchi: "I've never felt uncomfortable or frustrated working with him. No one spoke ill of him, either. He is a man of admirable character."
   Despite his fine personality, Obuchi may not be fit to see Japan through the crisis it is in now, unless he has the leadership qualities that are equal to the task. Ishihara comments: "Admittedly, he is not an accomplished orator who enthralls his listeners, but he is a shrewd judge of talent and has remarkable acumen in bringing out the best in his colleagues and subordinates."
   Ishihara likens Obuchi to Liu Pang (Chinese emperor 247-195 B.C., founder of the Han dynasty 202 B.C.). While Hsiang Yu, an arch rival Liu Pang, was too confident of his own abilities to trust any of his subordinates, Liu Pang consolidated his leadership by putting the right men in the right place to finally defeat Hsiang Yu. "We are living in a very complex society," says Ishihara, "and no one is equipped with all-around expertise to effectively deal single-handedly with economic, defensive, and diplomatic problems." Ishihara is counting on Obuchi to use his political savvy and shrewd judgment to put the right men in the right place.

5. Obuchi Invites His Subordinates to Suggest Foreign Policy Ideas

   Soon after he took office as Foreign Minister in September 1997, Obuchi gave his first speech before the Ministry staff, in which he said: "I'm determined to do my utmost to steer Japan's foreign policy in the right direction on the world stage, and I would like to invite you to suggest new ideas. Anyone who submits good ideas will be rewarded with a prize. As we have lately been hearing lots of bad news, I would encourage you to come up with a positive theme. I'm a born optimist, so I'd like to name the prize 'the Opti prize which rhymes well with my name Obuchi.' I look forward to hearing your suggestions."
   About 45 suggestions were submitted by officials both in the Ministry and overseas missions. The suggestions ranged from one that dealt with a new approach to crisis management and a new policy toward Russia to one that proposed establishing a day care center so that female staff with children could devote themselves to their work. In April 1998, testimonials and fountain pens were awarded to the authors of the winning proposals - all paid for by Minister Obuchi.

6. Obuchi Actively Promotes Parliamentarian Exchanges with Small Countries

   Few politicians have promoted parliamentarian exchanges with other countries as actively as Obuchi has for so long. He played a leadership role in promoting exchange programs not only with big countries but also with small ones. In a conversation he had in 1994 with Taichi Sakaiya, an economic commentator who is now Minister of State, Director General of the Economic Planning Agency, Obuchi said: As Chairman of the Parliamentarian Friendship League with the Maldives and the Parliamentarian Friendship League with Fiji, I have been actively involved in promoting friendly relations with a number of small countries. As I had to struggle for votes in a multimember constituency dominated by two big wheels, Takeo Fukuda and Yasuhiro Nakasone (both served as Prime Minister), I can understand the agony these small countries had to go through in order to perform a delicate balancing act so as not to offend either superpower. More recently, I was nominated as chairman of the Parliamentarian Friendship League with Argentina. I would be more than happy if the parliamentarian-level diplomacy we are promoting helped bring about worldwide cooperation among the countries to solve problems facing the international community.
   Obuchi is involved with over 50 countries in the Parliamentarian Friendship League and he currently serves as chairman of those leagues with Argentina, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Fiji, Guatemala, etc. In June 1998, Obuchi, who was then Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, attended a ceremony marking the 90th anniversary of Japanese immigration to the State of Parana, Brazil, at which he regaled the audience by greeting it in Portuguese: "Bom dia! (Good morning). Parabens pelos Festejos de IMIN-90 no estado do Parana (Congratulations on the 90th anniversary of Japanese immigration to the State of Parana)." He then took time out to renew his friendship with those whom he had met when he visited Parana 35 years ago. This episode illustrates how deeply he treasures close relationships with other countries.

7. Obuchi's Philosophy of "National Enrichment and Virtuousness"

   In his first keynote address he delivered as Prime Minister at the opening of the Diet (parliament) session, Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi expressed an indomitable resolve by saying that "I have characterized my Cabinet as a Cabinet for economic revival" and I will take resolute steps to revive the economy. I believe that the best course of action Japan can take to contribute to Asia and the world is to restore a soundly functioning banking system and revitalize the economy." The new PM concluded his address by introducing his long-cherished personal philosophy of "national enrichment and virtuousness" as a guiding principle for Japan to follow in the 21st century.
   The idea of national enrichment and virtuousness means, in Obuchi's own words, that "(Japan should seek) not just to attain economic prosperity but also to become a virtuous country worthy of winning the trust of the international community." In an article he contributed to the August 1998 edition of the monthly magazine "Shokun," Obuchi explained that "Unless the economy itself grows, public living standards cannot be improved. This means that the idea of honest poverty will not do the people any good. However, some Japanese scrambled to buy paintings at enormously inflated prices (during the Bubble Economy), while others went on a spree of land speculation - all under a misguided belief that prices would continue to rise. Such irrational behavior created a speculative bubble. We must learn a lesson from this mistake. From now on, we must learn to employ our wealth in a virtuous manner."
   "Get rich honesty" is an image that Obuchi wants to build for the nation.

8. Five C's, Obuchi's Prescription for Defusing the Economic Crisis in Asia

   In a speech he delivered in Singapore on May 4, 1998, Foreign Minister Obuchi put forward a "daring proposal" for defusing the economic crisis now sweeping through East Asian countries. The meeting was sponsored by the Institute of Policy Studies and presided over by Foreign Minister Jayakumar of Singapore. Obuchi's speech was titled "Japan and East Asia: Outlook for the New Millennium."
   At the outset of his speech, Foreign Minister Obuchi said, "I decided to make this trip in the hope that we can all join hands to deal successfully with the currency and financial turmoil and the difficulties that beset this region." He then stressed the importance of the five C's in overcoming the economic difficulties, namely, "courage" with which to tackle reforms, "creativity" in fashioning systems and institutions designed to enhance the transparency and accountability of administrative procedures and market practices, "compassion" toward the poor, the aged, and the underprivileged, "cooperation" on a regional and global scale, and "confidence" in our future which could turn the current crisis into an opportunity for building a better future.
   More specifically, Minister Obuchi disclosed that the comprehensive economic package his government has recently adopted included $5.4 billion in economic assistance to Asian countries and a $20-million contribution to the ASEAN Fund. He concluded his speech by saying, "A born optimist, I am confident that better times are just around the corner." The closing remark drew an ovation from the audience.

9. Society for Promoting Regional-Level International Exchanges

   Keizo Obuchi made his name as a politician when he served as Chief Cabinet Secretary under then Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita (1987-89), largely thanks to the role he played as the official announcer of the designation of a new era "Heisei" era. Ever since, he has been known as "the Heisei Minister."
   However, if you consider this his main achievement as Chief Cabinet Secretary, it is too superficial. Obuchi has realized other accomplishments, one of which is the formation of the Society for Promoting Regional-Level International Exchanges, a private advisory body to the Chief Cabinet Secretary, (The group was once chaired by Morihiro Hosokawa, then Governor of Kumamoto Prefecture who was later elected Prime Minister), and that this organization continues to carry weight. The society drew a report which contains proposals for promoting exchanges with Asian countries and for exempting international exchange organizations from taxation. And this report is still highly regarded as "a policy tool inseparable from the foreign policy of the government."
   Aware of the hardships foreign students in Japan are suffering, the Society is urging the government to step up its assistance to them by making scholarships available and by instituting a system for helping them find affordable housing. Through such activities, the Society is gaining clout with the government. In fact, the Regional Cultural Development Office of the Agency for Cultural Affairs which provides indirect support to grass-roots diplomacy owes its birth to this report.

10. Making Flowers Bloom Through Untiring Efforts

   Keizo Obuchi had been a long-time representative of the Third District (a four-member constituency) of Gunma Prefecture until single-seat constituencies were introduced. In that district, he had to compete with two powerful candidates, Yasuhiro Nakasone and Takeo Fukuda, both of whom previously served as Prime Minister. As might be expected, the two candidates invariably came in first and second in electoral races. Obuchi and another candidate fielded by the then Socialist Party had to fight for third- and fourth-place, and Obuchi barely made it in a number of elections. Once Obuchi likened himself to a small one-story noodle shop that was squeezed in between two high-rise buildings, namely Nakasone and Fukuda.
   However, the noodle shop has managed to survive. During the 35 ensuing years, Obuchi was elected for 12 consecutive terms as a member of the House of Representatives, and in the last multimember constituency elections held in July 1997, he was elected by the largest margin of votes.
   How did it happen? For one thing, his relative youth - compared to big-name candidates - was an apparent factor that attracted the voters. Moreover, his advocacy of the necessity for a change in leadership and for an end of bureaucratic domination struck a chord in young voters. Another source of his strength was the overwhelmingly strong support he gained from rural areas and mountain villages. Obuchi is a native of Nakanojo Township in Gunma Prefecture. Obuchi is known for being attached to his hometown. He has frequently visited silk growers, forestry farmers, and small business owners there to listen to their grievances. Local voters say that "No politician visits us as frequently as Mr. Obuchi does. No politician understands the sad plight we are in and looks after us with as much tender care as Mr. Obuchi."
   It is well known that Obuchi played the supporting role as Foreign Minister for former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto in public as well as in private. The credit goes to the teamwork of the two for successfully preparing the ground toward the conclusion of a peace treaty with Russia. Now the baton has been passed on from Prime Minister Hashimoto to Prime Minister Obuchi.
   It is fair to say that Obuchi's ceaseless efforts and inner strength have finally made flowers bloom.