CONCEPT OF THE FOUNDER, Dr. Shigeyoshi MTSUME, OF MIF TOWRDS GRETER UNDERSTNDING OF JPN ND LSTING WORLD PECE I see the condition of the world tody s consisting of conflict between the different ntionl egoism. The Club of Rome hs identified three crises tht endnger the future of mnkind: lck of energy, lck of food supplies, nd burgeoning world popultion. Unless mnkind lerns to overcome these crises, there will be no lsting pece. The truth of the sttement is undenible, but in the conflict of ntionl egoism tht surround us tody, the rod to pece is still long one. Therefore we re clled upon to do more thn stnd side from the current of history. In order for Jpn to coexist pecefully with the other ntions of the world, nd to fcilitte the tsks tht wit our young people in the 21st century, we re now trying to prepre forum for Jpn’s interntionl ctivities. In this wy, I believe, we will be ble to open up pth to the future tht will preserve our ntion nd mnkind. Following the trgic experience of the Second World Wr, Jpn firmly resolved to reject ll ttempts to enhnce ntionl prestige by force of rms nd insted to follow policy of peceful reconstruction s n industril ntion. More thn thirty yers hve pssed since then, nd it is now fct tht considerble friction hs risen between Jpn nd severl foreign countries, especilly in the fields of trde nd economics. We Jpnese re now mking ernest efforts to fce up to this problem nd re studying how to open pth to pece nd prosperity on the bsis of mutul understnding. My serch for enduring pece nd friendship mong ll ntions of the world, nd for n effective reminder of the pth to which we, s peceful ntion, re committed, led to the decision to crete this Foundtion. s will be cler from the sttement of the purpose of the Foundtion, I hope to invite ctive young reserch workers of outstnding chrcter, without regrd to sex, rce, religion, ideology or ntionlity, to Jpn. By deepening their understnding of Jpn, nd estblishing links of trust nd friendship, I seek to mke rel contribution to permnent pece throughout the world. I shll therefore welcome from the bottom of my hert pplictions from promising young men nd women who sympthize with our ims nd wish to undertke reserch in Jpn. t this point let me cknowledge the deep impression mde upon me t the time of the estblishment of this Foundtion by the inspiring idels nd prctice of the lexnder von Humboldt Foundtion, which opertes under the sponsorship of the Federl Republic of Germny, nd the fr-reching influence it hs exerted. I would like to tke this opportunity to express my deep grtitude nd t the sme time to sy tht I intend to mke every effort to ccomplish the purpose nd mission of the Foundtion. June 1979 Dr. Shigeyoshi MTSUME (1901-1991)
