At a meeting to exchange views with The Elders which was composed of former heads of state and former UN Secretary-General, Seishirō Etō, former Chair and now Adviser of The Japanese Parliamentary Committee of the National Diet of Japan for World Federation, … expressed his desire for closer dialogue, cooperation, and support on international issues between the Japanese Elders and The Elders. Reporter: Koki Imon
Below is the full text of Adviser Etō’s remarks.
Chairman Santos, former President of Colombia, and all the distinguished guests of The Elders, it is an honour to meet you today.
I am Seishirō Etō, former Chair and now Adviser of The Japanese Parliamentary Committee of the National Diet of Japan for World Federation. I have worked in politics for more than fifty years, serving as Minister of State, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chair of the ruling party’s Foreign Affairs Research Council, among other posts.
Present today are Diet members from both the ruling and opposition parties, as well as Japanese Elders, including Mr. Masaharu Nakagawa, former Secretary-General of our Committee and former Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology; Mr. Mitsuo Ohashi, Chair of the World Federalist Movement Association and a leading figure in the business community; and Dr. Sukehiro Hasegawa, former Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Chair of our Committee’s panel of experts.
Let us take today as a new starting point to discuss international issues together with the members of The Elders. I ask for your continued support and cooperation. Thank you very much.