Este es una parte del texto expuesto por Yasuhiro Yamasita, Director de la organización “Judo, Friendship and Peace” que recoge los motivos por los cuales Shigeyoshi Matsumae presentó su candidatura para presidente de la Federación Internacional de Judo, en abril de 1979.

VII IAJR International Judo Research Symposium

22 August 2011, Paris

Upon Running for President of the International Judo Federation

April 1979

Shigeyoshi Matsumae

When I declared my candidacy for the president of the International Judo Federation last December, and alter the announcement was made public in the newspapers, the initial reaction was surprise that the president of the International Judo Federation was not Japanese. People not involved in Judo might naturally expect the president of the International organitation of Judo, a sport originated in Japan, spread worldwide, and is now part of the Olympics, to be Japanese. But in fact, for the past 14 years the post has been filed not by a Japanese person, but by Mr. Palmer, an Englishman.

However, I did not my candidacy base don narrow-minded nationalistic ideas such as claiming back the presidency of Japan´s international sport for the country. Although the sport originated in Japan, it went global and the federation was headed by a foreigner. This just goes to show how well the sport is accepted around the globe, which is good thing. Nevertheless, I finally decided to run for presdient because I believe it is essential for Japan, the birthplace of the sport, to launch a full-scale effort to Spreads the sport worldwide. I also thought that this effort would help Japan to be understood by the wolrd. I believed it was crucial for Japan to improbé its International standing in a peaceful and friendly manner, rather than through increasing its strength and economic prowess, which is why Japan is currently criticized by the world. For the past 10 years, as the president of Tokai University, and as the president of the Japan Cultural Association, which promotes academic and cultural exchanges with countries around the World, I have visited many countries, both in the West and East. And throug these visits, I have come to strongly apréciate the following two Facuss. First, there is a poor understanding, and even misunderstanding, of Japan in other foreign countries, and so the global opinion of Japan is quite low. The second fact is that even under these coniditions, sports that originated in Japan such as Judo and Karate have managed to spread throughout the world and become popular in many different countries.

De Gaulle, a former French President, once famously referred to the Prime Minister of Japan as a ´transitor salesman`. Japan´s striking economic growth was of course highly regarded by other countries, and with its superior products, the old image of Japan as a producer of cheap low-quality goods is gradually disappearing. Unfortunately, however, improved industrial goods have not led to respect for Japan and Japanese people in foreign countries. That is because even though Japanese products are superior, the originality f most Japanese products sold overseas came from Europe and the Unites States, and Japan has recently partially improved the products.

In this sense, President de Gaulle´s remark symbolized the image of Japan and the Japanese people in Europe.

Put bluntly, if you ask the question `Which nationality has more respect, Japanese or Chinese?` In European countries, the answer is definitely Chinese. Even though China is not yet able to produce the lastest industrial goods, its unique culture created throughout its long history is widely recognized in Europe, engendering respect for China and Chinese people.

It would be a different story if Japan did not have a rich culture. Of course, it cannot be compared to China´s 4,000-year history, but Japan does have a culture fo which we can be justly proud. Every year I hold a Japanese book fair and cultural festival mainly through the Tokai University European Center in Copenhagen, and many Danish government offcials and citizens attend theses events. And each one of them always shows a Sorong interest in Japanese culture and learns more about Japan. Also, five years ago, with the cooperation of the president of Suntory, Mr. Saji, we held an exhibition of Japanese traditionals crafts at the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow. I will never forget the amazed expressions on most of the hundreds of thounsands of visitors to the exhibition when they saw the delicate beauty of Japanese tradicional crafts. I have no doubt that those people who attende these events recognized that Japan has excellent art and a highly established culture which are uniquely Japanese, in addition to Japan being a powerful economic nation.

It is often pointed out nowadays that the budget havallocated by Japanese government for International cultural exchanges and foreign student exchanges is astonishingly small compared to other advanced nations in the West. It is no surprise that we cannot improve the image of Japan overseas and that they do not come to respect the Japanese people.

I should explain the beneficts that advances Western nations offer to foreigners who are interested in studying their languages and affairs. Many Japanese have received various benefits from the Fulbright scholarship of the Unitates States, Elbert Stiftung of West Germany, and Athénée Français of France, and have studied abroad. In comparison, what has Japan done? If you think about it, it is highly embarrasing.

On a separate note, the Matsumae International Foundation which I founded last year is Orly a small private organization, but it invites foreign researchers studying Japan to visit our country and provides scholarships to assist disadvantaged researchers of Japan in developing countries, as a way of returning the benefits that Japan has received from developed Western nations in the past.

Unless we actively encourage cultural and foreign student exchanges and try to improve current understanding of Japanese tradition and culture, international criticism of the economic powerhouse that is Japan will continue to escalate. Japan is thus trapped in a difficult situation, and we must take firm action now.

How should we introduce Japanese culture to the world? How can we deepen understanding and respect for Japan through its culture? I believe Judo can serve as the coreo f all this.

Of course, we can hold exhibitions fo Japan´s successful tradicional crafts and arts in foreign countries. As I pointed out, it is also important to promote interaction with foreign students and researchers. However, these are time-consuming tasks and it is impossible to hold art exhibitions constantly. If you take a step back from this limited scope and broaden your perspective, you realice that Judo, a cultural product created in Japan, has actually been spreading around the world, attracting people becoming popular, and increasing even today the number of people who practice the sport, without any support from the Japanese government.

There are few Wetern cities without a Judo dojo. If you look inside a Sports club in a small town, you will almost find a Judo and Karate club, and either an enthusiastic Japanese coach, or a foreign coach taught by a Japanese coach, who is dedicated to instructing many people. And they are enjoying the sport created by Japanese people, in Judo uniform, in the language of our country.

The people are not simply moving their bodies, but are also developing an affinitty toward Japan an understanding of the Japanese spirit through Judo, which will eventually lead to friendship with Japan.

The reason why so many people around the world love and take to Judo is because the sport embodies the originality of Japan and they have discovered irreplaceable value within it.

I chose to run for the president of the International Judo Federation so that I can promote understandigng of Japanese culture, change japan´s image, and create a new vision of Japan by helping to spread Judo, the sport which is already loved and practicad by people around the world. I decided to run for the position as parto f my 15-year work on international and cultural exchanges that I remain committed to, and it may possibly be my last job.