ニュース 2012/11/17 Prime Minister Noda visits Kogei High School On the morning of November 17, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda visited Tokyo Metropolitan Kogei High School. Instructed by a female student, he experienced hammering pieces of silver into straps in the metalwork room. Then, Noda delivered an address to the students before participating in a round-table conference with students, guardians and graduates. During the round-table conference, Noda listened to the dreams and aspirations of the students and exchanged opinions concerning the obstacles preventing them from achieving their dreams. They also exchanged opinions regarding measures that the government is taking in order to support the futures of young people. Noda began his address by asking students “Do you know me? I am Yoshihiko Noda” and talked about dreams and aspirations. He said, “An aspiration is the desire to contribute to society and others through your achievements” and expressed encouragement to the students “I hope all of you are able to find aspirations while studying at this school.” He also noted that “Studying at this traditional Kogei School will give you a chance to find jobs that are useful not only for Japan but also for the whole world.” He added that “Japan is highly skilled in the field of manufacturing. Improvements in manufacturing skills have enabled Japanese products to enjoy a high reputation.” he added. He also mentioned that “Sometimes characters that we make take the world by storm. Super Mario and Hello Kitty are known the world over. They are perhaps better known than the baseball player Ichiro, Nobel Peace Prize winner Professor Yamanaka, and the Japanese Prime Minister. These characters have spread throughout the world.” He continued, “I would like all of you to have aspirations to create things that will be known across the globe, while also contributing to society.” PM Noda introduced an expression used by the late Mr. Konosuke Matsushita – ‘soshikantetsu’ (to obtain one’s cherished desire) – and wrote it on the blackboard. “Embrace the desire to contribute to society. Maintaining such feelings will dramatically change your life. I am sure you all have your own areas of interest, and I would like to ask you to keep that desire.” He also touched upon the lesson he had learned from Matsushita that the essence of success is to keep fighting until you succeed, and emphasized, “If you hold on to your aspirations and give it your best, a path is sure to open up for you.” After the visit, PM Noda said to the press, “I was able to listen to the dreams, aspirations, and challenges that young people have. We have to take them seriously and do our best to support the younger generation. We will create an environment that is conducive for young people to chase their dreams and aspirations.” To this end, he indicated his intention to continue to promote free tuition for public high schools. Noda also told the press that he will instruct the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology regarding the following two points: (1) Strengthening learning support via such means as expanding scholarships and (2) Providing increased study-abroad support so that one in ten young people has the opportunity to go abroad.