A private advisory panel to Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi charged with making recommendations on the kind of nation Japan should be in the twenty-first century held its first meeting. The panel, whose 16 members represent various walks of life, is headed by Hayao Kawai, director general of the International Research Center for Japanese Studies. Addressing the panel, the prime minister expressed his hopes for its findings, saying, "I would like to see Japan aim to become a model for the world, a nation of dignity and virtue as well as economic wealth."