Although Japan is no longer the world's second-largest economy, many countries expect it to continue its global contributions, one of the nation's most prominent international figures said, urging today's youth to have ambition and rise to the challenge.
"I wish young people to continue having (a) hungry spirit. By being hungry, there are many things that you can do, learn and see," Sadako Ogata, former U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, said at a symposium at the University of Tokyo. "Keep having curiosity."
Ogata, now president of the Japan International Cooperation Agency, is working to train and dispatch personnel to developing countries as part of official development assistance. The hourlong Oct. 18 seminar was held to commemorate a partnership agreement JICA signed with the university to strengthen cooperation in supporting developing countries.