Nagoya American Center

November 1, 2006

"I think it is very important for me to do things like this today, I get out of Tokyo and visit young people to find out what they think Japan is all about. Because it helps me to go back to the American people and describe the Japan I learn every day.

"There is nothing better for Americans or Japanese to live in each other's country, because it gives each of us a better understanding of what the other is all about. I think that degree of understanding will lead to continued strength of our relationship and friendship between our two countries."

- Ambassador J. Thomas Schieffer

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AMBASSADOR SCHIEFFER: Thank you very much. I appreciate the opportunity to meet with you today. I really do enjoy meeting with students and young people. I did that some in Australia, I used to do it in the private sector in the United States, and I enjoy doing it here in Japan. The reason is because I think it is a great opportunity to get ideas and find out what young people are thinking. It really helps me get a better feel for what's going on in this country. So I hope today that you will indulge me by giving me your views on various subjects and hopefully we can exchange views. I hope it will be an enjoyable experience for you because I know it will be for me.

This is, I think, is very dynamic time in the U.S.-Japan relationship. A lot is going on in this part of the world. I think the United States has a major role to play, and I think that the U.S.-Japan relationship has an enormous ability to contribute to peace in this part of the world. Asia is in a period of transition, in my judgment. Right now, you have the ascendancy of China that is occurring, and of course you have Japan, which is the second largest economy in the world. And the Japanese and Chinese are sometimes uneasy about that. They are uneasy about what their relationship will be in the future because it's not well defined at this point. I think a lot of that comes from the fact that in Asia, much of Asia traditionally views itself in a very vertical sense: somebody is above, and somebody is below. Neither China nor Japan is prepared to be below, and rightly so. Now, it's a different historical norm than has occurred in the past. You are having a situation in which you have these two great powers, China and Japan, that will be great powers at the same time. In the way I conceptualize that, is to say that I think there will be an increasing situation in which there is a horizontal sharing of the power, as opposed to a vertical order in which one is above and one is below. I think because it is new, that Japan and China are trying to come to grasp how that's going to work. I think it will work and I think that we can look forward to a peaceful Asia. One of the reasons that we can look forward to that peaceful Asia is because of the relationship between Japan and the United States. American foreign policy in this part of the world begins with the recognition that a strong U.S. and Japan relationship makes all things possible. On the other hand, if the U.S.-Japan relationship were somehow weakened, or if the Japanese lost faith in the American alliance and decided to go their own way, then I think this could be a very different part of the world and one much more prone to dangerous conflict. But because the alliance is strong, because it is healthy, I think everybody in the neighborhood accepts that fact and recognize that it can be a great contribution to peace in this part of the world. So I think it has never been more important for America to be involved in Asia, and I think it has never been more important for a strong U.S.-Japan alliance. I would like to hear what you think about that, what you think the big issues in Asia and Japan will be in the next five or ten years. I know nobody likes for somebody to call on them, so I would ask you to volunteer, and tell me what you think.

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STUDENT: The biggest issue for Japan now is Prime Minister Abe. He is eager to change the constitution, including Article 9. So, what do American people think about the idea of eliminating Article 9 in the Constitution?

AMBASSADOR SCHIEFFER: The Constitution of Japan is, whether to change it or to keep it, is a decision Japanese people have to make. I think we recognize that Prime Minister Abe wants Japan to speak with a greater voice in international relations. How that is affective will be something that he and his government must deal with and must be the ultimate decision makers. But the United States would welcome Japan speaking with a louder voice, and making even greater contribution in international affairs across a broader range of areas.

STUDENT: First of all, I would like to say thank you, Ambassador Schieffer, for coming here today, and it is my great honor to have a talk with you this way. I would like to ask you one thing, about the Iraq War. What does the United States Government think about the situation in Iraq right now?

AMBASSADOR SCHIEFFER: It is a very important question because it is one that is weighing heavily on the American people. There is no question that Iraq is a very difficult issue, and it is a very difficult situation for the United States because young Americans are being killed there every week. What the United States is trying to do in Iraq is to establish a democracy that can stand up and governs itself. And Iraq is not there right now, but hopefully if we stay involved in Iraq and continue to work toward that end, we will have a free democratic Iraq. If we do that, we think we will have a transformational effect on the whole Middle East that would not only effect the people of Iraq but it will be a great example to others.

Those of us live in the United States and Japan are blessed with democracies that now have deep roots and have changed our societies and changed the ways that we are able to live in the freedoms we enjoy. Sixty years ago, democracy in Japan was a very difficult proposition, too, and the democracy that Japan enjoys today wasn't established overnight. But because it was established, I am convinced that Japan today is able to make the contributions that it does to the international community and provides for its citizens in a way that wouldn't have occurred if democracy did not take a root in Japan. So, I think that democracy transforms and gives people more opportunities to succeed, more opportunities to prosper, more opportunities to decide what is important in their own lives and how they are going to live their lives. Those are ideals that are not American ideals but universal ideals, universal values, that have served both countries very well in the past, and that's what we are trying to do in Iraq. We are trying to let those values serve Iraqi people as they served Japanese and American people in the past.

STUDENT: Thank you very much for your clear answer, and listening to my nervous English.

AMBASSADOR SCHIEFFER: (Laughter) Your English is far better than my Japanese!

STUDENT: I have two questions. Today, the big news is North Korea agreed to participate in the six party talks. What made North Korea make this decision, and why did North Korea immediately agree to the requests by the United States and Japan? The second question is: some Japanese politicians say that Japan has to possess nuclear weapons after North Korea's communist government announced their nuclear test. What do you think about the issue?

AMBASSADOR SCHIEFFER: I appreciate the fact that you think the North Koreans have come back quickly. Unfortunately, I don't have quite a view that they were so quick, I think it took them a long time to get there. But I am delighted that they have taken this step. It is the first step toward another path. We think it is very important that they try to take that path because we believe it is North Korea wants to rejoin the mainstream of the international community, it has an opportunity to do that. But it cannot join that mainstream if it insists on developing nuclear weapons. If it continues to develop nuclear weapons, it will find itself more and more isolated from the rest of international community, and that isolation does not lead to prosperity. It leads to desperation and poverty. On the other hand, if it were to change course and try to renounce nuclear weapons, I think international community would try to bring it back into the international fold, and the example we give to the North Koreans is Libya. Libya was increasingly isolated from the international community because it pursued weapons of mass destruction. (Libya) decided it was not in Libya's own interest to continue to pursue those weapons of mass destruction, and it changed its behavior. And the result to that is that Libya is coming back into the family of nations, and people are welcoming it there. So, North Korea has a good example to follow, Libya, and we hope they will take it.

With regard to the argument about whether Japan should develop its own nuclear weapons: the argument that has been made seems to me very similar to the argument made by Charles de Gaulle in the 60s and 70s in France. Basically, it was that France had to develop its own nuclear weapons because the United States could not be depended on to defend Paris if New York was at risk. The truth of the matter is, while the argument is an old one, I don't think it is a very good one because I think history proved that Charles de Gaulle was wrong. France did not need those nuclear weapons to deter the Soviet Union. The truth of the matter is, after spending all that money in acquiring those nuclear weapons, I don't believe France was one bit more secure than when it was under the nuclear umbrella of the United States. The full power and the affect of the United States response is what deters others from using nuclear weapons. That's the case here in Japan, and it was the case in Europe. The nuclear umbrella that the United States spreads over Japan is just as secure today as it was 50 years ago when it was first talked about, and just as the nuclear umbrella deterred the Soviet Union during the Cold War Era, I think it would deter any adversary in the future.

Again, I come back to the strength of the U.S.-Japan alliance. I think most Japanese today believe that the alliance is healthy, that it protects Japan from those kinds of adversaries, and I think that would continue to be the case in the future. What I said on the day that this nuclear test occurred, was that the United States stood with Japan that day just as it stood with Japan the day before and just it will stand with Japan the day after.

STUDENT: First of all, thank you for this wonderful opportunity. I would like to ask you one question. Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi visited the Yasukuni Shrine, which makes the relationship between Japan and China uneasy. What do you think about this problem? And if the Japanese new leader, Shinzo Abe, visited the Yasukuni Shrine, what would you think?

AMBASSADOR SCHIEFFER: I think that the Yasukuni is much more complicated issue than many foreigners understand it to be. I think what Prime Minister Koizumi was trying to do was to figure out some way to honor those who had sacrificed their lives for the country without embracing the cause for which they died. It's not an easy thing to do, but it's an understandable thing. I think that was at the heart of what he was trying to do, he went out of his way to say that ... he did not agree with the historical view of the museum. He did not agree with the fact that 14 war criminals, or he did not go there to honor those 14 Class A war criminals. What he did do was to go there to try to honor those who were sacrificed for the country. I think that was understandable situation. I think that Japanese people will work out to their own satisfaction, a method of honoring those people without embracing that cause. I don't think that Japan is about to become a military nation again, I don't think that people in Japan are trying to white wash the history of that period. I think, on the contrary, Prime Minister Koizumi, on more than one occasion, and Japanese prime ministers prior to that, I think, 27 or 28 times, have apologized for the tragedies that occurred during World War II. And (Japan) has been a model citizen of the international community for more than 60 years. And that it wants to be able to offer its view and assistance around the world without people continually implying war guilt to it. And I think that Japanese people will work out exactly how that will come about, and I don't think that, the situation particularly helped, when foreigners, whether its Americans or others, trying to tell them how to do that ...

As for Prime Minister Abe, whether he goes or doesn't go, he is the one who would make that decision. But I would also add that I think his reaching out to China, and to South Korea, was a very important initiative, and I think you have already seen the benefit of that, in reaction of Chinese and South Koreans ahead of that visit, that was very positive. So we think that countries in this part of the world are going to work all that out, how they regard the things like Yasukuni and regard relations with each other. And again, we think it's important that they try to do it, and not that they do it in response to something that United States tries to dictate. What we would like to see is an Asia that is peaceful, stable, they can get along, and promote democratic ideals over time ...hopefully we move towards that in the years ahead.

STUDENT: It's nice to talk to you today. Thank you very much. Lately I heard many different views on how long it's going to take to implement democracy in Iraq. I'm just wondering how long you think it will take to get democracy to work in everyday Iraq. And I also saw that the leader of Iraq said he wasn't America's man to lead Iraq. What do you think about him and how are we going to find the right person for Iraq?

AMBASSADOR SCHIEFFER: Well, if I knew how long it would take for Iraq to be truly democratic I would be lot smarter than I am. I don't know, and I don't think anybody ever knows how long it takes for a country to become democratic. You know, a country goes through phases in which they are more democratic and they lose faith in democracy and that sort of thing. Again, those of us that live in America and Japan are blessed, we don't have to worry about our military officers getting together and saying "This democracy seems awfully cumbersome, wouldn't it be better for us to just step in to do something?" That's just beyond the pale in both our countries. That's not the case in much of the world. And when that point comes, when that conversation is no longer a viable conversation, I don't know. So where the tipping point is in which you don't have to worry about these kind of issues, is pretty far out, pretty far beyond, I think, the individual's ability to know it certainly. Having said that, I am certain that democracy is the antidote to hatred and terror in the world, because when people have a chance to choose their government, when they have chance to criticize that government, when they have a chance to change that government, there is a magic that occurs in society, and it's beneficial, I've never seen it be destructive. What was the second part of the question?

STUDENT: The leader of Iraq said ...

AMBASSADOR SCHIEFFER: He said he was not America's man, he said he was Iraq's man. You know, he should be!

STUDENT: He said he wasn't the man for the job ...

AMBASSADOR SCHIEFFER: I don't know if he said that he wasn't the man for the job, just that he said he was not America's prime minister. He is the Iraqi prime minister, which is what he should be. It won't work if Iraqi people proceed with a government they elected that is powerless to do anything. We don't want to occupy Iraq. We want Iraq to work. And nobody would be happier than the American people on the day that we can leave Iraq, because on the day we leave Iraq, we will have a government that can stand up for itself. And the government won't always agree with the United States. But we will take our chances on that if it's a democratic government, because we have an ultimate faith that democracy works to the betterment of all.

STUDENT: What do you think are some issues and policies that youth of today should be worried about in general between the US and Japan, and what should students of our age be doing about it?

AMBASSADOR SCHIEFFER: I think that you will be living in exciting times. When I was your age, I thought about all the dramatic things that were happening in the world. Sometimes it's hard to imagine that the world would change, as much as it will change in your lifetime. Awhile back somebody ... said to me that half the jobs that existed then didn't exist when (he) was 18 years old. That's going to happen with you. And so ... How do you cope with that? Well, I think what I always try to stress to people that are your age in the part of life that you are in, I think it's much less important that you decide what you want to do with the rest of your life than it is that you decide how you going to do it. Because the jobs will change. I remember when videotape was invented. I remember when videocassettes first came and you could play videotape on television. Well, if I had devoted my whole life to the videotape industry, I would be in trouble right now.

But in my life, I watched when it was new, I watched it age, and I watched it go out of existence. That would happen over and over. But whether you decide how you're going to live your life and what values you're going to think will be important, to me that's integrity. Your life always must begin with the truth. And you must be true to yourself and you must be true to your own ideals. If you can figure it out right now, life will be much more enjoyable.

On the other hand, if you think it's okay to cut corners or to cheat or to lie, or those things that give you a kind of an instant status or success that you think it might, you are not going to have a happy life. And it doesn't make any difference whether you make a lot of money, doesn't make any difference whether you have a title in front of your name. I am firmly convinced that if you don't get part of it right, if you don't get those values, if you don't decide what is important in your life, then you won't be happy, no matter what material things you might acquire.

The example that I would like to give to young people in that regard to prove my point concerns the tragedy of 9/11. The thing that always struck me about that day, was that you heard people that were trapped in that tower, they knew they were trapped, they knew they were not able to get out. And you heard the people that were in the airplane that crashed in Pennsylvania. They knew what was ready to happen, and they knew they were not able to get out. So what did they do? They had cell phones. Who did they call? They didn't call the banker to see how much money they had. They didn't call the stockbroker to see if they can do one more deal before the end came. They didn't call somebody that they hated, to say I am sorry that I didn't ever get a chance to get even with you. What they did was to call their family and friends, to tell them "I love you." That's the measure of success in life. It's not the money. It's not the title. It's the number of people that you love and the number of people that love you. And if you can come to that conclusion, early in your life, you will enjoy your life lot more.

STUDENT: I would like to ask about nuclear power in North Korea. Last week, I read a newspaper article that the Bush Administration is still developing small, portable, nuclear weapons. I think these are tactical nuclear weapons, rather than large nuclear weapons, that the Bush Administration is developing.

AMBASSADOR SCHIEFFER: We have a nuclear weapons arsenal. What we want is for that nuclear weapons arsenal to be effective against future threats. We believe that if it is effective, it has a deterrent quality and they keep the peace and the weapons don't have to be used. We continue to do research in that area in order to make those weapons more effective, but what we have not done is to test those weapons. We voluntarily said that we will not test those weapons. I think that is the right approach. I hope that the day will come in your life time, if not in mine, that we can do away without these nuclear weapons, wherever they exist, in the United States or any place else in the world. Unfortunately, we are not at that point. I think that the United States has to maintain that nuclear deterrence so long as others have nuclear weapons themselves.

STUDENT: It is very nice talking to you.

AMBASSADOR SCHIEFFER: I can't believe how terrific your English is. Your English is just terrific, all of you.

STUDENT: My question is about education. I am going to be an English teacher from next year. We are having severe complicated problems right now. Some students committed suicide because they suffered from bullies at school, and some school offer classes of subjects teachers thought not important. What do other countries expect Japanese students to learn in order to be leaders?

AMBASSADOR SCHIEFFER: What do others think about Japanese education? I think Japanese students are admired around the world for the hard work they put in and the efforts they make towards education. I, too, have read of the students' suicides, and it always touches my heart when I see it because it is such a waste. I always try to say to young people: "We know what it was like to be your age. You think that the world is very ordered and you will do this and then you will achieve that. When you achieve that, you will achieve the next thing, and life will progress until your retirement."

It doesn't work that way. When I was your age, I wanted to be a politician, and I was actually pretty successful. When I was twenty-five, I was elected to the state legislator, like the prefectual assembly you have here. And I though I was going to be a politician for life. After the third term, something happened that I had not anticipated. What do you think it was? (pause) I got beaten! All of sudden, life looked different, and that was really hard and, at that point of time, the day I lost that election and the day after that, if I had had magic and I could've changed anything, if I could have made a bargain with somebody that I would have to given up something, I would have taken it if I could change the outcome of that election. Yet, many years later I was with the Texas Rangers baseball team, I was the president of the baseball team, and I had been put in charge of building a new ballpark for the Rangers. It was an exhilarating experience. Tremendously fulfilling to me to be able to have an idea on paper and see the outcome on the ground. We were about to open that ballpark up. We invited the members of legislators to come for the opening day. I was sitting there, signing letters, inviting them to come. I said to the woman who was sitting there with me who was my assistant, "You know, I am really glad I'm the one signing the letter inviting them to come, instead of the one being invited to come."

Now, what that says to me is that you are going to have times when life does not come out the way want it. You are going to have times you don't do well on the test. You are going to have times you don't get into the university you want to, or you don't get the job that you want, or whatever. But that's not the end. It's just a beginning of another chance. They can be more fulfilling, and offer opportunities that you could have never imagined at that moment. And when I see these young students who think they have failed, and somehow take their own life because they think they failed, I weep because there was an opportunity that they were able to take, that their life could have been very fulfilling doing something else, not what they thought at the time, but something else. That is what you have to realize.

I want you to do well at school, I want you to apply yourself and leave with the feeling you have done the best you can. But also, realize that the great lessons in life are often taught not when you succeed but when you fail. I learned much more in my life on those occasions when I didn't succeed than I have on the occasions when I have succeed. I am a better person for it. Doesn't mean it is easy sometimes, and doesn't mean it is fun sometimes, but that's part of life that is hard to understand where you are now but it is easy for me to tell you it's the way it is because it is true.

STUDENT: I have one question about U.S. Navy. In 2008, the U.S. Navy is going to replace the current conventionally powered aircraft carrier with a nuclear powered aircraft carrier. I think there are advantages, of course, because it is more powerful physically. But, I think there are also troubles. For instance, people in Yokosuka are still opposed to the idea and also last month, the U.S. Navy conducted an emergency drill in case of radiation release. I think there are disadvantages as well as advantages, and it is difficult to balance. What do you think about it?

AMBASSADOR SCHIEFFER: This is a very good question. We have tried to reassure people in Japan that the nuclear powered carrier will be safe and will operate safely in this part of the world. I think there has been something like 2000 visits by nuclear power ships to Japan, and not one of those has had an accident. That just proves that these kinds of ships can be operated safely. The concern I think of Japanese people is to be sure that nuclear energy can be used safely. Japan is a great example of that with the nuclear power energy industry. I think 34% electricity in Japan is generated by nuclear facilities. This offers a great opportunity if you safely operate it. We think we can safely operate it. It's just nuclear power energy. From a deterrent standpoint, we believe in nuclear powered carriers. Number one, we are phasing out conventional carriers. We are not going to have anything but nuclear carriers in the future. So the question comes would the (nuclear powered) carrier be in Japan or not? We think the fact the carrier would be here, strengthening the alliance and give us the ability to defend Japan in a way that wouldn't exist if we don't have the carrier here. Finally, we believe these are safe. Look at the way we operate nuclear carriers that are based in the U.S. I think that in the San Diego area, there are something like three or four carriers there. They have been there for decades. They are a part of the community. People live up close to them and there have been no accidents that have occurred. We pledge to the people of Japan, and Yokosuka in particular, that we are going to do everything we can to ensure that the carrier is operated safely and it will not be a hazard to the health of local residents, and that we will indeed provide for the safety of all of Japan.

STUDENT: Being the Ambassador is the most wonderful job I can ever imagine. What does it feel like to represent your country?

AMBASSADOR SCHIEFFER: To be able to sit in front of a group like this and be the representative of the Untied States is a very humbling experience because I realize that for you today I am the face of America. So I feel great sense of responsibility. I do represent the United States, but I also try to keep in my mind that we live in a world in which there are many different countries with many different interests and many different cultures. I think it is incumbent upon me to represent America here in Japan, but I think it is also incumbent upon me to tell the American people about what Japan is all about, and what Japanese are thinking. So, I think it is very important for me to do things like this today, I get out of Tokyo and visit young people to find out what they think Japan is all about. Because it helps me to go back to the American people and describe the Japan I learn every day.

STUDENT: I would like to ask you about employment in the United States and Japan. A lot of people in the United States after graduating from college go abroad on working holidays or work for a part time job before getting a full time job. Companies don't care if you are a new graduate or not. However, in Japan, companies tend to hire new graduates and "freeters" and "NEETs" cannot enter the job market easily. What should Japan be doing to help those you people find the jobs they want?

AMBASSADOR SCHIEFFER: I don't think it is as difficult for Americans to return to the United States as it sometimes is for Japanese to return to Japan. I think that has to do a lot with the difficulty of Japanese language. I have heard from many Japanese about their concern about their children. When they work in the United States, they are worried whether their children are able to learn Japanese to the degree to they will need to be able to compete when they come back to Japan. That is a real problem, and I don't know what the real answer is.

Having said that, while I know that it is difficult sometimes for Japanese to go to the United States and come back, I know it is extremely important. There is nothing better for Americans or Japanese to live in each other's country because it gives each of us a better understanding of what the other is all about. I think that degree of understanding will lead to continued strength of our relationship and friendship between our two countries. Let me also say that I think Japanese do a much better job learning foreign languages than Americans do. I could not sit in a class of American students - with this many students - who speak Japanese. I would be hard pressed to find a class of this many students who could speak Japanese. I don't speak Japanese and I think it is a real failure. I wish I could every day. It is kind of like what my mother used to say to me about playing the piano. She tried to get me to play the piano, and I did it for about a year or so. I just wouldn't practice and I just wouldn't do it, and she said to me, "One day you are going to be sorry that you cannot play the piano." She was right. I am sorry that I can't play the piano, and I am sorry that I don't speak a foreign language. My hat is off to you, for being able to study English and be able to have the level of proficiency that you have. This is a tremendous asset. Don't give up on, and don't just stop with your university years. Continue to try to improve it because if you are able to speak English, if a Japanese is able to speak English or an American is able to speak Japanese, you will never go hungry because there will always be a job out there for you. And I compliment you on that, and I wish Americans made a greater study of foreign languages than they do. I think it is real failure of our culture.