Selling the Japanese Dream
Seeing as this is a World Cup year, it may be somewhat poor timing to mention this, but there is something that two of Europe's best-known soccer players, Zinedine Zidane of France and Francesco Totti of Italy, have in common\something that I think you may already know. They grew up as enormous fans of the soccer-themed Captain Tsubasa. Captain Tsubasa was originally a manga strip running in the publication Shonen Jump, and it later appeared as anime on TV.
Both of these players say it was watching that TV anime that instilled a love of soccer in them.
If you aren't quite convinced, I urge you to take a look at the web site of the French professional football team Grenoble, which Japanese footballer Masashi Oguro now plays for. You can see on their web page caricatures of the Grenoble footballers, drawn by Yoichi Takahashi, the creator of Captain Tsubasa.
Incidentally, Captain Tsubasa is known in Iraq as gCaptain Majed.h In Al-Muthanna Governorate, where the Self-Defense Forces are conducting humanitarian and reconstruction assistance, the water supply vehicles which Japan has provided through its ODA do their rounds with large Captain Tsubasa stickers stuck to them. At the beginning of March, the Japan Foundation concluded an agreement to provide to the largest Iraqi television station free of charge the third season of the Captain Tsubasa anime series\a total of 52 shows\dubbed into Arabic.
The content that is being created by you here tonight is providing hopes and dreams to young boys and girls around the world. In Iraq, a country now struggling to create a political system, we are showing the children the promise of a bright future.
I very much hope that you will help the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as we press forward in these and other areas. Let's work together to provide dreams to young people as we polish even further the brand image of Japan.
Thank you for listening tonight. It was a pleasure to be able to address you.