In September I came back from Uzbekistan and quitted the Foreign Ministry, where I served since 1970. It was a very, very long time and gave me a lot of experience and valuable observations. I still believe that the diplomatic career is one of the best jobs.
And yet toward the end of my tenure I began to feel a mannerism. The thing is that I am not made for a decorative job both physically and mentally. Sure, as ambassador you can see any VIP in the country where you work (not in Japan, though) to settle important issues. But most of your time is spent in attending exhibitions and concerts, where you have to deliver boring speeches, in receiving visitors and solicitors, and so on and so forth.
I ,therefore, came to desire to use the time for myself, for my own undertakings. Now I have got a respite of two years as Chief Economist of the Research Institute of Capital Formation at the Development Bank of Japan. The institute is known for its first Director Dr. Osamu Shimomura, who announced the famous prediction after the war that the Japanese economy was to grow by more than twice.

I will not limit my activity to economy. I intend to address the most important issues for Japan in coming twenty years to facilitate their solution. To my mind those questions are:
(1) maintain economic vitality while the population shrinks.
(2) calculate the importance of Japanese capital and technology in Asia.
(3) gradually establish a common economic zone in Asia with free trade arrangements and a common currency.
(4) ensure security and dignity for Japan between two superpowers: USA and China.

Easy to say and hard to realize. I know. Despite that I intend to open a website where any viewer can participate in the discussion of the questions above and other current issues. We need such a free forum, in which people of any nationality could take part.
In developing such a website, I will need your advice and help. The discussion pages will be international with Japanese, English and Russian languages. I started studying the Chinese to open Chinese pages in near future.
Well, let us see what will happen. Pending the inauguration of the website, I will take liberty to send you e-mails with my observations on current issues related to Japan. I hope that you will not reject them. The situation in the Far East is becoming so fluid. It needs constant care and attention.
With the best wishes,
Akio Kawato