Yuka Hayashi, Graduate of the School of Political Science and Economics, Waseda University
As a journalist for an American newspaper, I have met many people in Tokyo and Washington D.C. who are engaged in US-Japan relations. Most of the diplomats, researchers and journalists from Japan and the US experienced studying abroad in each other’s country when they were younger. A common concern they’ve had for the past 10 years or so is the sharp decrease in exchange between the two countries among the youth who will lead the next generation of US-Japan relations. Many Japanese cannot afford the yearly expenses required to study at US universities now, which can reach as high as 10 million yen (roughly $80,000). If the students use the exchange programs sponsored by their universities, the tuition may be reduced but dormitory and food expenses can still be prohibitively expensive. This year’s yen weakness and inflation have added to the cost. The other day at a Waseda Alumni Association gathering in Washington, I listened to the struggles that current study abroad students are facing. I cannot imagine where I would be today without my experience as a high school exchange student in a small Midwestern town or the intellectually stimulating time as a graduate student in New York. It’s time we step up and help develop the next generation of leaders in international relations.
米紙の新聞記者として、東京とワシントンで日米関係に従事する多くの人と接してきました。両国の外交官、研究者、ジャーナリストなどのなかで、若い頃にお互いの国で留学や仕事を経験した人が多数をしめます。彼らのここ１０数年の共通の懸念は、次世代の日米関係を担う若い人たちの交流が激減しているということです。 今や年間費用が１千万円にも及ぶアメリカの大学への留学は、日本人になかなか手が届きません。大学を通しての交換留学でも、学費は抑えられても、寮費、食費が大変な負担です。さらに今年は円安と物価高。先日はワシントン稲門会の集まりで、留学中の学部生の苦しい声を聞きました。 私自身も中西部の田舎町の高校での交換留学、知的刺激が沢山のニューヨークでの大学院生活無くしての、今の自分は考えられません。次世代の人材育成、ますます真剣に取り組んでいかなければと感じます。
