Top �� What's up around the Prime Minister �� July, 2003

Budding Reporters from Okinawa Pay Courtesy Call on the Prime Minister Tuesday, July 29, 2003 Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi received a courtesy call at the Prime Minister's Official Residence, or the Kantei from forty budding reporters from Okinawa. Selected from the pool of elementary and junior high school students in Okinawa Prefecture, the "Okinawan Budding Reporters" are promoting youth friendship exchanges, bonding Okinawa with the mainland through news gathering activities in various regions on the mainland. They were joined on the courtesy call by ten budding reporters from Hakodate. Miss Haruka Matayoshi of Konan Junior High School in Naha City said as a representative, "The experience of a budding reporter will increase our sensitivity to others, which is something I would like to take back and apply in my school life. Prime Minister Koizumi, I hope that you succeed in resolving the issues of Okinawa Prefecture and achieving world peace." Prime Minister Koizumi responded, "The first time I visited Okinawa was at the time of the Okinawa Reversion Ceremony. That stands out in my memory as I was first elected to the Diet that year. The power of newspapers is significant in that they allow you to know so much about the affairs of world that you would never see with your own eyes. Please remember what you see and hear at the Kantei, and try to learn to improve yourselves. It is important not only to study during the summer vacation, but also to play. There is much to learn from play, so please learn hard and play hard."