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Who helps the flowers of people's happiness and wealth bloom?
Dream of finding out whom |
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| 1. Apology and Resolution (of Recommencement of Awarding Programs) |
As to the activities of the Foundation in 2003, I had to make a very painful
and important decision. It's about suspending the Awarding Programs, the
Takeda Award and the Takeda Entreneurship Award in the middle of the ongoing
selection processes. At first, I would like to apologize those who were
involved in the processes of preparation, application, and selection of
the awarding programs and who suffered from the suspension of the programs.
At present, Japn's economic situation seems to be recovering from a long-lasting
recession as well as from the international recession, but it reached a
low point because of the steep fall in the stock market at the beginning
of last year. The excutive committee all agreed that the awarding programs
should be suspended, and I followd this decision, but the sole responsibility
for the suspension lies with me as Chairman of the Foundation, and I feel
very sorry.
However, we have been receiving much encouragement and supports from a
graet many people who recognize our enduring efforts. We are trying to
do our best to find entrepreneurial achivements that provide useful products
chosen by people and that contribute to the increase in people's wealth
through our research programs, and in the publicity programs we are sending
messages promoting entrepreneurship using the results of the research programs.
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| 2. Self-reliant efforts help people's versatile happiness and wealth bloom |
On September 18, 1931, Japan started its war of aggression in Northern
China, the so-called Manchurian Incident, with the explosion of a bomb
of unknown origin on the Japanese railway in Mukden, China. The following
year, Manzhouguo was established. Japan had ambitions of achieving economic
power as great as that of the colony-owning European powers. They instigated
the Manchurian Incident and tried to colonize China. However, please take
a look at the results. The axis of developing capitalist nations, including
Japan, Germany, and Italy, was involved in a world-wide war against allies
from the United States, England, France, and Russia. In May, 1945, Germany
surrendered when Berlin was captured by the Allies, and in August, America's
atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and Russia's entry into the Pacific
war led to the surrender of Japan, thus ending a long anguishing war involving
the whole world. Japan's ambition was shattered and the nation was reduced
to poverty.
Nevertheless, through its great efforts, Japan was able to rise to become
the second largest economic power since 1965. I believe that the Japanese
experience of failures (defeats in war) and successes (recovery as an economic
power) can assure people in developing countries that self-reliance is
a very effective way toward global economic power. China, India, and Brazil
have large populations, and, in Asia, the economies of Vietnam and Thailand
have been growing steadily. The total populations of these two countries
is only 10% that of China, but their economies are growing at the same
9% rate as the Chinese economy. No one can deny the possibility that someday
these countries will surpass the United States as the number one economic
power.
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| 3. The 21st Century as the Era of Knowledge Collaboration |
Nowadays, many awarding foundations follow the trait of finding and awarding
precious knowledge created by human beings, a principle that was started
by the Nobel Foundation. The Nobel Prizes award significant findings in
basic sciences and novel inventions with broad repercussion effects. However,
as the 21st Century progresses, entrepreneurs will start to combine and
integrate various bits of knowledge that would not be recognized previously
by awarding bodies, to develop many new products and services that will
contribute significantly to the increase in people's wealth. Such entrepreneurs
are trying to satisfy the versatile needs of people. It is a feature of
the 21st Century that people throughout the world are choosing and buying
a wide variety of products and services provided through various pieces
of knowledge on the market
I am not alone in being excited when thinking who can satisfy the endless
needs for which people are in constant pursuit. It is my dream and ambition
that my Foundation together with 6.3 billion people will explore, find,
and promote achievements that satisfy these endless needs.
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