the Peace Corps will be strictly limited to U.N. Peace-Keeping Operations and international humanitarian relief activities based upon U.N. resolutions, and these will
limited further by implementation only under the guidelines of Japanese constitu- tional principles governing no use or threat of force.
Japan hopes that this will lead to a significant contribu- tion to the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia a body which seeks a comprehensive political settlement through which lasting peace in Cambodia will be achieved, and this in turn will contribute to peace and stability in the whole of the Asia-Pacific Region.
7. THE PROMOTION OF MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN HONG KONG AND JAPAN
Ladies and gentlemen,
Japan has been making a great effort on all fronts to strengthen its relations with nations in the Asia-Pacific Region. Deepening interdependence between Hong Kong and Japan presupposes the promotion of mutual understanding and mutual trust between our two peoples.
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In this respect, I believe it was extremely valuable for the members of the Japan Hong Kong Parliamentarian League, headed by Finance Minister Tsutomu Hata, to have visited Hong Kong and met their counterparts from the Legislative Council who are members of the Hong Kong Japan Parliamentarians Committee, Chaired by the Honourable Allen Lee. The fact that membership of the Japan
Hong Kong Parliamentarian League boasts some eighty members, is a good measure by which to gauge the depth of inter- est Japanese parliament members have in Hong Kong. I am also greatly encouraged by the fact that 26 out of the 60 LegCo mem- bers have joined the Hong Kong Japan Parliamentarian Committee, which serves as a sign of their keen interest in Japan.
Ladies and gentlemen,
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It goes without saying that Japan and Hong Kong's success in the 21st Century rests on the shoulders of our respective younger generations. Therefore, it is vitally important for the youth of Japan and Hong Kong to be given greater opportunities to appreci- ate and understand one another's language and culture. I have been informed that here in Hong Kong, the number of Japanese learners has been steadily increasing in recent years, and that currently there are some 107 Japanese Language schools. I also note, with pleasure, that the number of participants in the Japanese Language Speech Contest has also risen steadily.
In terms of educational interaction, the number of Hong Kong students furthering their studies in Japan has reached the im- pressive total of 5,200 over the last decade; whilst in Hong Kong itself, I am very pleased to note that the Japanese Government has continually extended assistance to the territory's three
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