Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama received a courtesy call from representatives of participants in the 22nd Ship for World Youth (SWY) program at the Prime Minister's Office.

The SWY program is one of the international youth exchange programs of the Government of Japan. It aims to make an international contribution in a recognizable manner from the perspective of human resource development by providing youth from countries around the world with occasions to build human networks and promote collaborative works. The participants will engage in various concrete and practical experiences as they spend time together on board the SWY, an epitome of the international community with cultural and ideological diversities.

A total of approximately 300 participants from Japan and 12 other nations are participating in this year's program -- the Commonwealth of Australia, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Republic of Ecuador, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Hellenic Republic, the Republic of India, the Republic of Kenya, the Sultanate of Oman, the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, the Republic of Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and the Republic of Yemen. Together, they will engage in exchange activities on board and at countries of destination ports during the 43-day voyage which runs from late January to the beginning of March.

After shaking hands with each representative, Prime Minister Hatoyama delivered an address and gave words of encouragement to them. He said, "You will soon be on board the ship and go through various experiences, learning different customs of many countries around the world or remembering aspects of life in Japan. I want you to know that such experiences will not only be of benefit for your great future but also significantly help to realize world peace and the prosperity of the world economy."