People-to-People Exchange

On December 12th, 81 students participating in MIRAI program 2017 paid a courtesy call to Mr. Manabu Horii, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, and had a farewell lunch on the last day of their seven day visit to Japan.

In his opening speech, he stated that it was indispensable to enhance ties not only among countries but also among regions in order to tackle global issues and to ensure the stability and prosperity of the international community. He also stated that the basis for inter-regional ties was an open and free maritime order based on the rule of law, and therefore, it was essential to make the Indo-Pacific region free and open to ensure the peace and prosperity of Asia and Europe. He concluded his remark by saying that friends of youth time are a lifetime asset and he expected this program to give the participants an opportunity to meet such lifetime friends.

After the speech, Mr. Horii had conversation with the students on a variety of topics including their stay in Hiroshima and Kyoto, their career after graduation and the Japanese cuisine that they enjoyed. Mr. Horii told the students that he expected they would stay connected with Japan and contribute to fostering the relationships between Japan and their countries of origin by drawing on their experiences during this program.

(Reference) MIRAI Program
Japan's Friendship Ties Programs for undergraduate and post-graduate university students from Europe. This year’s MIRAI Program consists of 3 invitation groups; 1st Group (October Invitation), 2nd Group (December Invitation) and 3rd Group (March 2018).