Wise words from a Wise man

The purpose of international understanding education with foreigners is to understand what it means to accept and respect diversity and to fulfill the same rights and responsibilities in a symbiotic society with foreigners in Japan. Also, the purpose of international understanding education with foreigners is to provide students with an opportunity to learn what it means to accept and respect diversity and to fulfill the same rights and responsibilities in a harmonious society. This is where we can learn through experience. We, who are on the front line of this process, must learn to live in harmony.

We need to have the ability to live in a symbiotic society with the same rights and responsibilities as anyone else in society anywhere in the world, without being discriminated against because we are foreigners.

Those who do not have this ability are unqualified to play a part in leading to the creation of this symbiotic society.

Japan is now moving to a society where we can live together with foreigners in their daily lives, and by treating people who have grown up in a single Japanese culture as foreigners, they are working to change the direction in which we aim to live together.

There is a difference between "accepting diversity" and "treating people as foreigners".

If those who work in a foreign country are allowed to make mistakes because they are foreigners, and if they are treated as if they have no choice because they are foreigners, it will create a division in the society where foreigners can only live together.

Workers who are allowed to make mistakes are allowed because they are foreigners will be treated as if they are VISITORS. Workers who do not understand the language and need assistance in managing their daily lives, or need assistance in using public facilities creates a barrier in society.

If a foreigner is not able to become independent, he or she will be treated as a VISITOR, and treating a working foreigner as a VISITOR is a major hindrance to a symbiotic structure with foreigners. Foreigners in Japan should work towards developing themselves and to learn how to adapt to break this stigma.

In our program, we accept the diversity of people, but we do not treat them as foreigners.