This year's Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize winners have suggested that, given time, the changing face of culture could make the world a more harmonious place.
Indonesian author Pramoedya Ananta Toer, recipient of the grand prize in the 11th Fukuoka Asian Culture Prizes, said Thursday that Asian politicians appear to be considered illogical, while their Western counterparts are often seen to be more calculating and logical.
"There are many differences in modern Western and Asian cultures, but in centuries to come, perhaps these differences will disappear both in the political arena and in other fields," Pramoedya said.
The 75-year-old writer, whose works address the issue of national independence as well as the emancipation of mankind, said he hopes that one day everyone around the globe will be able to live in equality and under a democracy.