similar organization to the Kihinkai, a welcome society of the Meiji Era mentioned by Professor Shirahata. Bringing together people who have lived abroad at some time, the association intends to enhance friendship with foreign countries by taking care of foreigners traveling to Japan. Therefore, I somehow feel that the local governments have followed in the footsteps of the national government, finally catching up with it after the war.
However, in the case of Shiga Prefecture, the international exchange has moved on even more rapidly since then. With its large lake, Shiga Prefecture has sister city agreements with two states and a province: Michigan in the United States, Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, and Hunan in China. At local governmental level, 21 of Shiga Prefecture's 50 administrative bodies have signed friendship agreements with 35 cities all around the world. They are organizing a variety of projects to promote their friendship and in some exchange programs, local residents actually visit each other's countries.
As for public facilities, the Michigan Japan Center was founded in Hikone city in 1989, associated with 15 universities in the state of Michigan. It is used as a base for students from these universities studying Japanese culture and language whilst living in Japan for a year. This year, the International Exchange Festival was held successfully at the Center, together with public and private universities in Shiga, many of which moved to Shiga only recently. It seems the international exchange programs are functioning effectively here in various forms.
Talking about the private sector, Biwako Kisen Ltd., a cruising company on Lake Biwa, has long been training students from Lansing Community College, a vocational school in Michigan, during the summer. The students also learn about Japanese culture, flower arranging, abacus calculation and even how to wear a kimono, things that many of the Japanese youth of today cannot do. They then return to their home countries to work in the tourism industry. This case is a good example of the acquisition of practical vocational skills through international exchange.
Concerning research activities, there have been exchange activities to protect lakes from environmental pollution. In 1982 Shiga Prefectural Government established the Biwako Research Institute and later hosted the World Conference on the Environment of Lakes, based on its research. The institute also initiated the founding of a branch office of the UNEP Environmental Technology Center in 1992, as well as the recently opened Lake Biwa Museum which is used for international forums. Thus international exchange is increasingly being related to the preservation of the world's lakes. One of the methods often used is the proposal of themes alongside each other and then comparing and exchanging opinions on them, thus deepening communication and understanding among the worldwide organizations.
Just recently, private exchanges have been taking place as part of the process of transforming a community. I consider this development to be the third stage of international exchange. The first stage was when the local governments followed in the footsteps of the national government, and the second was a little more advanced, with specific exchange at local government level. And today the international exchange has entered the third stage in which local people themselves take part. Although there are several such cases in operation, I will pick up on just one of them because of the time restrictions.
There is a village in the north of Shiga Prefecture called "Amenomori" in Takatsuki Town, with a population of 500 people from 115 families. The village is the birthplace of Mr. Hoshu Amenomori, a pioneer diplomat in the Edo Period. In 1984, with the assistance of the governments of Shiga Prefecture and Takatsuki Town, the association governing the village built the East Asian Exchange House Amenomori Hoshu An, thus transforming the village. It was constructed not only to commemorate his achievements, but also to do something practical connected with the way he lived his life, and at the
