Professor, Department of Law at University of Tokyo
Former Deputy UN Ambassador

In Japan today, we are blessed to live in a country with an average income per capita of US$26,000 and life expectancy of around 82. Meanwhile, halfway across the planet, 46% of Africans are struggling to survive on less than US$1 a day, with a life expectancy of 46, nearly half that of the Japanese. And yet Africa`s state of poverty and misery is not a hopeless one deprived of solutions. The main causes of poverty are discernable as being conflict, disease, and lack of education, amongst others, and yet conflict, for example, can be seen to be on the decrease. New and improved aid strategies are constantly evolving, and we too in Japan can join the international effort to eradicate extreme poverty.

There lies at present a great distance between Japan and Africa, both geographically and psychologically, as a lack of general public interest in African issues is widespread. And yet, Japan`s prosperity is acutely dependent upon successful international development. This realization means that we can no longer turn away from the reality of extreme poverty which continues to ravage parts of the world and ultimately threatens to be our own undoing. It is necessary for Japan to positively contribute towards such globally significant issues if we are to win the respect and friendship of the international community, which in so doing, will only strengthen Japan`s voice of influence in the international sphere.

From the 19th Century to the Second World War, Japan`s isolationist policy meant that its development progressed independent of foreign assistance. After the war, thanks to aid granted by World Banks, Japan was swiftly able to get back on its feet, and has since been a major donor of aid to Asia.

The philosophy lying at the heart of Japan`s financial aid policy is "Self-Help". Namely, the belief is that rather than becoming too dependent on handouts, the recipients in poverty stricken areas themselves must champion their escape from the poverty trap, with economic development being realized as a result of our working as facilitators, and supporting their independence. We believe that it is of upmost importance that we stand on an equal footing with those countries receiving the aid, thinking and working together for optimum chance of success.

The Millennium Villages Project, which is already seeing encouraging results, has in fact a great deal in common with Japan in terms of its philosophies surrounding financial aid. As a result, Millennium Promise Japan wholeheartedly lends its support to the Millennium Villages Project.

Our wish is for as many Japanese people as possible to visit Africa, as only upon experiencing the way of life for those trapped in extreme poverty can we as a nation truly understand how blessed we are. From such awareness, I believe, can emerge a new generation ready to lead Japan in taking up the global mission to which we are called.

It was early Spring 2005 in New York when my husband, Shinichi Kitaoka, received a phone call from Prof. Jeffery Sachs (Columbia University) who was in Nairobi, Kenya at the time. In both his role as special adviser to the UN Secretary General, and as author of the report on the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG), Prof. Sachs consistently asserts his view that a renewed focus on and commitment to Africa is integral to the achievement of the 21st Century Millennium Development Goals (to reduce extreme poverty by half).

The causes of extreme poverty can be attributed firstly to HIV/AIDS, and then to malaria. Solutions for the HIV/AIDS issue remain complex and difficult, and yet through the distribution of mosquito nets, the potential for large scale malaria prevention lies within our grasp. The quality of the mosquito nets created by Japanese company Sumimoto are amongst the best in the world, and yet there simply aren`t enough to go round, leading Prof. Sachs to beg the question `can something not be done?`. What I found most staggering is that mosquito nets cost a mere US$5 to produce and have the potential utility of 5 years. The cost is so small, and yet with just one net a child can sleep with a sense of security for 5 years. At present, the number of malaria related deaths amongst children is recorded as 2 million per year.

Without wishing to sound gratuitous, when I heard this I felt called to join in this effort to facilitate a more widespread diffusion of mosquito nets. My husband had recently taken up his post as UN Japanese ambassador and I had given up my 17-year long post with the Dentsu Group in order to accompany him, feeling that I wanted to do something that would be of benefit to international society, something that I could only do whilst involved in that unique way with the UN, this is what I was searching for around that time. US$5 is the price of a cup of coffee. For this kind of price tag, I had and continue to have faith in the people of Japan to work together as part of a wider initiative to save the children of Africa.

At the same time, I believe from the bottom of my heart that in saving Africa`s children, we will be saving our young people in Japan. Research repeatedly shows that, compared with the rest of the world, Japan`s young people possess very little in terms of aspirations for the future. Growing up in a stable and materially blessed society, self-appraisal is nonetheless limited, and our young people seem to have lost sight of what our purpose in life may be. Each of our small actions, if part of a collective effort can slowly begin to change the world and I truly believe that if our young people realize that, they will evolve into a generation with a renewed sense of purpose. It is my fervent desire that our young people would look with hope towards the future, as only young people can.

If we are to stir people in action, I believe that people have to see what Africa is all about with their own eyes. In March I heard that Senegal plans to host a malaria prevention awareness concert by the name of "Africa Live" in the Dakar Stadium, to which Prof. Sachs and his wife were scheduled to attend. Senegalese musical legend and UN goodwill ambassador Youssou N'Dour was to gather 26 artists and bands from all around Africa to perform over the two nights of this musical extravaganza. As the UN Foundation, founded by Ted Turner, was sponsoring the event, a vast array of Western media, from CNN to the BBC, was also expected to attend.

And then suddenly I had a thought: I have to go and see this concert! As Sumitomo Pharmaceuticals were sponsoring the event, I felt sure that there would be other Japanese people there. This knowledge, compiled with my husband`s assurance that the Japanese embassy in Senegal was very keen to draw more Japanese to the country was all the encouragement I needed, and so, reckless though it may seem, I just knew that was where I was meant to be, and set off on my own for Dakar.

Despite my nerves, everyone at the embassy and the concert sponsors were incredibly kind and I felt immediately at ease. The concert was a carnival of rhythm and energy, and the rich resonance of the African voices onstage made the event a wonderful experience. I felt so sure that if we could only put on a miniature version of this concert in Japan, it would do much to move the hearts of our young people. Music knows no barriers, and I believe it has the power to stir our young people into positive action! Two years have passed since then, and I`m still doing everything I can to help realize that dream.

Around that time, Professor Sachs, along with world renowned philanthropist Raymond Chambers, set up an NGO by the name of "Millennium Promise" in New York, with a view to kick start the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. Working in conjunction with the UN, Millennium Promise has to date established some 79 "Millennium Villages" across 10 countries in Africa, providing to each an integrated aid package which primarily aims to nurture and encourage self-sustainability amongst the villagers. In doing so, the hope is that the process of development gains momentum and spreads from the villages to the towns through to the cities. From the beginning, the Japanese government has been one of the main sponsors of the Millennium Villages. In the meantime, I have had the privilege of establishing "Millennium Promise Japan" and little by little, we are working to widen the network of support for our cause from the government through to citizens through to grass roots organizations, with the hope that both the children of Africa and the young people of Japan can look forward to a brighter future.