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C. Date: Address to World Summit 2022, Plenary Session II
Written by Hon. Chuichi Date, president of the House of Councillors of Japan (2016-2019)
Friday, February 11, 2022
Address to World Summit
February 11-13, 2022
I am Chuichi Date, former president of the House of Councillors of Japan. It is a great honor for me to be given this opportunity to speak at the World Summit 2022, which will deal with the important issue of peace on the Korean Peninsula.
First of all, I would like to pay my respects to Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, who is the host of this Summit and founder of the Universal Peace Federation (UPF). I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to the co-chairmen, Prime Minister Hun Sen of Cambodia and the Hon. Ban Ki-moon, former secretary-general of the UN.
I attended the World Summit 2020 held in Korea two years ago. And I am proud to say that I was given a chance to speak as a representative of Japan on the very platform where Dr. Moon was seated, in the presence of leaders from every field, including heads of state and government officials, from around the world. I still cannot forget how moved I was back then.
At the time, COVID-19 had just made its appearance and no one had even imagined that it would go on to greatly affect the entire world for such a long time. Now that we live in the coronavirus age, people have been required to “socially distance” from one another, and more restrictions have been put in place for people traveling across borders. In a sense, [the pandemic] has destroyed relationships between people and nations and has isolated them from one another like nothing else has.
In this respect, we have now ushered in an age that requires the spirit of “interdependence, mutual prosperity and universal values” as spoken of by Rev. Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Moon. And the place that particularly needs that spirit more than any place is the Korean Peninsula.
The peninsula is well-known for being a region in the world where the Cold War structure has yet to come to an end. It could also be termed as the “microcosm of the world” where the interests of strong powers are intertwined. Accordingly, peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula would greatly benefit not only Japan but also the entire international community. It is important to encourage communication and cooperation, so that a relationship of trust can be built between South and North Korea and an environment that leads to the peaceful unification of the peninsula can be created.
When we consider the tragedy of a people and a nation sharing the same long history, culture and language being divided into two halves and at war with each other, it is only too obvious that the most earnest wish of the Korean people would be the unification of South and North Korea. Japan is also having trouble with North Korea with regard to its nuclear missiles and kidnapping of Japanese citizens. If such problems could be resolved through the peaceful unification of the two Koreas, it would be a welcome solution for Japan as well.
In this new year, North Korea has launched missiles six times in one month, which is also a cause for much concern in Japan. I therefore believe that it is timely of UPF, an NGO affiliated with the UN, to host this Summit at this time, whose aim is to bring about peace by promoting mutual trust with Pyongyang through [track two] diplomacy and passing on the message of the international community to North Korea.
It is quite unfortunate that I am unable to visit Korea to attend the Summit, due to restrictions in overseas travel because of the coronavirus. Even though I may be in Japan physically, my mind is filled with the wish to fly to Korea and express my congratulations in person.
I truly hope that this Summit will provide an opportunity to find answers to the various problems on the Korean Peninsula through the messages of heads of state from across the world and Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, and that it will be a strong step forward towards the peaceful unification of South and North Korea.
Thank you for allowing me to greet you on behalf of Japanese attendees and leaders.
To go to the World Summit 2022 Schedule page, click here.