IIn connection with the "rebirth of education," which Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori has identified as a major issue for his Cabinet, the Prime Minister visited Yokohama Municipal Mitsuzawa Elementary School. As part of "integrated study," pupils have been engaged in hands-on learning, repairing the bamboo fence of the nearby Hotaru no Sato (Firefly Village) and planting Japanese parsely and watercress at the water's edge with the help of local volunteers and parents. The Prime Minister observed the children's enthusiastic efforts.
Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori flagged the improvement of urban infrastructure as a national issue in the policy speech that he delivered upon the opening of the 151st session of the National Diet on January 31. In view of this, and upon the request of the Liberal Democratic Party Council on Urban Problems, he inspected a problematic railway crossing near the Keihin Electric Express Railway Company's Kamata Station, in Ota Ward, Tokyo. This crossing cuts across a major highway, and during peak hours it is shut for up to 38 minutes an hour, tying up traffic for long periods.
The Expert Study Group on Measures to Help Parents Balance Work and Child Care, set up by the Council for Gender Equality and headed by Keiko Higuchi, a professor at Tokyo Kasei University, held its first meeting at the Prime Minister's Official Residence. Addressing the meeting, Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori instructed the group to listen to the views of people actually combining work with child care and compile recommendations that would be helpful to various sectors as quickly as possible.
Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori addressed the annual National Rally to Demand the Return of the Northern Territories, held at Kudan Kaikan, Tokyo. He emphasized the need to resolve the Northern Territories problem and explained the government's approach to the issue, saying, "Resolving the problem of the Northern Territories and concluding a peace treaty [with Russia] is in the interest of both Japan and Russia and will also contribute greatly to the peace and stability of Asia and the Pacific. I regard this as one of the government's most important national priorities." He also asked for national support, saying, "The power of unified public opinion is crucial to furthering negotiations."
The National Rally to Demand the Return of the Northern Territories has been held annually on February 7, Northern Territories Day, since the day was created in 1981. February 7 is the date that the Russo-Japanese Treaty of Amity was signed at Shimoda in 1855, establishing the Russo-Japanese border between Iturup (Etorofu) and Urup Islands in the Kurils, north of Hokkaido.
Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori attended the National Ceremony to Celebrate National Foundation Day, organized by the Foundation for Celebrating National Holidays and held at Hibiya Public Hall, Tokyo. Some 1,500 people attended, including House of Representatives Speaker Tamisuke Watanuki, House of Councillors President Yutaka Inoue, and members of the diplomatic corps. Addressing the assembly, the Prime Minister said, "We need to build a peaceful Japan, and world, blessed with environmental richness in the twenty-first century, passing down Japan's distinctive traditions and culture and its natural beauty to our children and grandchildren and consolidating the gains of the twentieth century."
Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori met with Prime Minister Nambaryn Enkhbayar of the Mongolian People's Republic at the Prime Minister's Official Residence. Prime Minister Mori expressed his sympathy for the damage done by heavy snows in Mongolia for the second year in a row and said that Japan would provide whatever help it could, including additional emergency assistance. The two leaders exchanged views on bilateral cooperation and agreed to redouble efforts to build a comprehensive partnership for the twenty-first century.
Members of the tenth transport unit sent to the Golan Heights to take part in United Nations peacekeeping operation there reported the unit's return to Japan to Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori in a meeting at the Prime Minister's Official Residence. The Prime Minister thanked the members for their hard work in a difficult environment and said that he had heard that their peacekeeping activities were highly regarded.
Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori met with Teburoro Tito, Chairman of the Pacific Islands Forum and President of the Republic of Kiribati, at the Prime Minister's Official Residence. The two leaders exchanged views on Japan's cooperation with the Pacific island nations and on relations between Japan and Kiribati.
Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori at the Prime Minister's Official Residence. The Prime Minister said that Japan, as a major donor of humanitarian aid, would continue to assist UNICEF's activities as much as possible. The Executive Director expressed her thanks for the Japanese government's assistance and for the Prime Minister's encouraging words.
Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori met with Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt of the Kingdom of Belgium at the Prime Minister's Official Residence. The two leaders exchanged views on strengthening the bilateral relationship. After their meeting they issued a joint statement on Japan-Belgium cooperation that touched on strengthening the bilateral relationship, contributing together to the resolution of global problems, and promoting people-to-people and cultural exchange.
Family members of the nine high school students, teachers, and crew members still missing from the Ehime Maru and others connected with them met with Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori at the Prime Minister's Official Residence and presented him with a list of requests. The Ehime Maru, a training vessel of Uwajima Fisheries High School in Uwajima, Ehime Prefecture, was accidentally rammed and sunk by the U.S. Navy nuclear submarine USS Greeneville off the island of Oahu, Hawaii, on February 10 (February 9 in Hawaii). The family members and others expressed their thanks for the efforts of Japanese government officials in Honolulu and asked that the government cooperate with their efforts to have the Ehime Maru salvaged, take part in the investigation into the cause of the accident, and see that their wishes were conveyed to U.S. President George W. Bush. The Prime Minister expressed his sympathy for their anguish and pledged the government's utmost efforts to see that their wishes were realized.
Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori attended a reception to welcome the International Olympic Committee Evaluation Commission, headed by Hein Verbruggen, which was visiting Osaka to evaluate the city in connection with its bid to host the 2008 Olympic Games. Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister recalled his visit to the Olympic Stadium in Athens, host of the 2004 Olympics, when he was in Greece in January. "As you may have noticed," he added, "I'm wearing a Sydney Games necktie. I've asked the head of the Athens 2004 Organizing Committee for an Athens Games tie and hope to receive it soon. I'd really like to add a third tie representing the Osaka Games."