English
Globalization
Hiroshi Nozawa Visiting Fellow Asia/Pacific Research Center (A/PARC) Stanford University
The Asia/Pacific Research Center (A/PARC) is an important venue at Stanford University, where faculty members, students, visiting scholars, business executives and government leaders get together and exchange views on the current situation in Asia and the United States involvement in the region. Research conducted at A/PARC is made public through seminars, conferences, publications, discussion papers and special reports. In the first six months of this year alone, A/PARC held 12 public events on Japan, 12 on North and South Korea, and 16 on China, etc. Certainly, the most efficient way to understand what's going on in most Asian countries is to study at this center, rather than to visit each of the countries individually. When we look around, many people from around the world, especially those from Asian countries like China, India, Korea, Japan, etc., live in Silicon Valley. As a result, residents of Silicon Valley naturally gain access to international cultures. But I feel a slight barrier between myself and other foreigners. This might be attributed to the fact that in Japan, almost all residents are Japanese. This is especially true in the countryside. I even think that almost all Japanese must feel a slight barrier between themselves and foreigners. My son went to a preschool in Silicon Valley. When I picked up my son there once, a cute little Indian girl was sleeping just across where my son was sleeping. I was surprised at this situation, where Japanese, Indian, Mexican, Chinese and American boys and girls were taking a nap together. While I was still feeling a sense of barrier, my son was not feeling any between his friends from other countries. For him, it was nothing unusual for people from various countries to live in a single place. Many people in Japan, especially politicians, currently stress the need to promote globalization. But for them, the word "globalization" just means "being able to speak English." This understanding may have its own truth, but it is really not enough. Rather, "globalization" stands for both "the ability to speak a common language spoken in many parts of world" and "the ability to understand various cultures, including one's own." My son was the one who taught me the true meaning of "globalization." Great thanks to my son Shuta and his friends!