Section 6. Promotion of International Mutual Understanding
Under its peace Constitution, Japan has renounced war as a means of settling international disputes and it is the nation's supreme policy to play a positive role in international society as a peace-loving and cultural state. Therefore, generating mutual understanding and feelings of friendship with other countries, which is a prerequisite for lasting peace, can be said to be the basis of Japan's diplomacy.
Meantime, in the developing countries, there is a rising awareness that, although economic development is important, it is necessary to achieve a well-balanced development and improvement in the social and cultural fields as a basis for promoting economic development, and requests for Japan's cooperation in these fields have steadily increased.
Reviewing 100 years of history since the Meiji era, especially those efforts made in the more than 20 years after the war, Japan, which has achieved a state of self-reliance internationally as a result of the aid and cooperation extended by various foreign countries, should, as a matter of course, try to promote anew mutual understanding with other countries, and make particular efforts toward entering into various types of exchange with foreign countries in social and cultural fields.
Particularly important is the promotion of cultural interchange. This is because heart-to-heart contacts through cultural exchange between various nations will correct misunderstandings and prejudices which tend to arise in international relations, and have an incalculable meaning in eliminating such distrust and suspicion.
This is all the more necessary for Japan which finds it very difficult to make itself understood by foreign countries because of its unique cultural traditions and the language barrier, and also in view of the fact that the Japanese people have come to play an active role in various parts of the world.
Although it has long been demanded that Japan should speedily increase its cultural exchange with other countries, the institutionalization of the structure for implementing this demand has lagged and strong hopes have been expressed that the organization, personnel and funds for conducting cultural exchange will be improved and increased.
To meet this demand, the Government plans to establish a special fund called the "Japan Foundation" with \5,000 million provided for this purpose in the draft budget for fiscal 1972, in order to substantially increase international cultural exchange, and has submitted the "Japan Foundation Bill" to the 68th session of the Diet.
The creation of the Japan Foundation is expected to lay the foundation for the future development of Japan's cultural exchange projects.
There are many other projects that should be undertaken by Japan to promote mutual understanding with various foreign countries.
In addition to further promoting studies of foreign countries by Japan, it is also necessary to encourage foreigners to study Japan and provide opportunities for them to learn the real situation in Japan. For this purpose, more measures should be taken and existing ones improved to receive students and researchers from, other countries, and also to invite middle ranking future leaders of promise who are key workers in various fields abroad. The Government intends to take positive steps to this end in this field.