息子からのエール Moving Xmas message

12月25日　2016

このクリスマスシーズンに、夫が、ボストンにあるFletcher School of Law and Diplomacyの卒業５０周年記念のYearbookに次のようなメッセージを投稿。それをシェアした息子からのメッセージに母親として感動しました。諦めないで、投げ出さないで、頑張り続けなくてはと新たに心を引き締めた日となりました。（On Christmas Day, we got a moving message from our son expressing his sincere heart responding to my husband's message submitted to the yearbook to be issued next year on the occasion of Class of 1967 50th Reunion. We shouldn't give up, shouldn't throw away, but should persist toward the end of life.）

Intelligence without passion is like a bird without wings. You have both. Your persistence will also make your dreams come true on behalf of the whole East Asia. Mom & Dad, ......

My life today:

__After retiring from the foreign service and returning to a private life, I decided I would do something even small to promote mutual understanding among people in the East Asian countries for the sake of peaceful Asia in the future generations. For this purpose, the most important thing is the promotion of mutual understanding between Japanese and Chinese people. So, I started to study Chinese, which was one of the most difficult languages I had ever studied because of the pronunciation. But this year, I made two hour lectures in Chinese for the first time at two universities.

  The promotion of Japan- China communication is not my final purpose. My concern is the whole East Asia. This year, we invited  the ambassadors of all ASEAN countries to my home town, Nikko, which is a world cultural heritage town and beautiful all year round. I am a policy adviser to the city of Nikko. We plan to invite ambassadors of China, Korea, India, Australia and  New Zealand next year. We  would also invite students from East Asian countries. I would like to make my hometown a town of dialogue and exchanges among East Asian people. This would be my final enterprise as a former Japanese diplomat toward the end of my life.

What fond memories do you have of your time at Fletcher -- Professors, Coursework, Friends, Experiences, etc:

  I have so many fond memories of  the Fletcher life. This space is too short. But a few.

  I was one of those who suffered from hard grading of Leo Gross. But he often made fun of me and I tried to follow him hard. When smoke was rising behind the piled up books on his desk, he was there. I often invaded his office. When I went to the American International Law Convention following him, professor McDougall of Yale U was approaching us in the corridor. I instantly expected their harsh discussions on the Vietnamese war. Oh la la, my expectation was totally missed. Passing each other, our Leo Gross gave no glance at his rival, simply neglected him. I don’t remember at all how I wrote for his difficult exams like the one on Pueblo incident, but I remember one thing very clearly. He always said that academic work was analysis  and he didn’t believe in the political science, whether it is a science. Is it based on analysis? His question. I told him that  I was taking a course of Henry Hoffman at Harvard. He said Hoffman was a novel writer. Really to him, Leo Gross, the analysis and theory were important.

  Other courses were  not easy either to me, a foreign student. But I enjoyed the lectures and appreciated several American friends who helped me follow  the classes. Especially a girl ( whom I don’t name) lent me her notebook after every class and I pretended a long time that I couldn’t follow the lectures.

  I can never forget the heated discussions after Walter Cronkite news on CBS in the TV room after dinner. I was amazed with Americans’ discussions. However severe criticism they gave to each other, they maintain warm friendship. Expressing opinions were important.

  After the TV room discussions was Ping-pong game in the basement before going back to the library. After the library study, somebody took me to bowling after midnight and we played it until the morning eating American pizza with Coke. All these were my first experiences. On the weekends, we often played tennis, went to the Fresh Pond for skating and watched games at Fen Way Park. Oh, if the clock can go back, I love to see Bobby Orr’s games together with Fletcher guys again.

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Special messages to your classmates:

  I have no special message to my classmates. I only have deep appreciation to my friends at Fletcher.

  As Frank Sinatra sang, the end is near. As the end is coming near, I recall the time at Fletcher was the most enjoyable and rewarding in my life. For that I simply thank professors and friends, treasures in my life.

I have not suffered from any severe life. I think I have been lucky. But some of our friends might have gone through difficult experiences which I can not imagine. How has Osama from Iraq been? How is Ilma from Ethiopia?

 To my great regret, I will not be able to participate in the 50^th  Reunion. However, on this occasion, I would like to get as much information about other people. About my roommate David Orr, my tennis partner Peter Hall,  Herman Fransen and many others.

  I wish a great success of the 50^th Reunion!