Japan Times
READERS IN COUNCIL
April 27, 2005
Recent images of Chinese citizens violently protesting against Japan with expressions of extreme hatred and loathing were disturbing to say the least. Aside from protesting against the violence, however, it would be truly nice if the Japanese government responded with something truly constructive in building up amiable relations between both peoples.
As one measure, I would suggest using official development assistance money for scholarships for a number of Chinese students to work and study in Japan. While in Japan, the scholarships would pay expenses in full, thereby eliminating the need for the students to have to support themselves.
Perhaps scholarships could be given to some of the student protesters who appeared on television. Such a measure would hopefully provide an opportunity for Chinese students to see that the Japanese, by and large, are not militarists or devils. This may sound hopefully naïve, but in view of the apparent ineffectiveness of Japanese ODA money spent on large construction projects and on other efforts to build up mutual trust, perhaps a different approach that deals with Chinese people on a more personal level should be explored.
KO UNOKI
Tokyo
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