On March 29, 2014, Mr. Eiji Tokuno, Chairman of the International Highway Foundation, gave a lecture in Saga City.
An excerpt from the lecture is provided below.
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"The Japan-Korea Tunnel Project for Peace in Northeast Asia"
- Examining the Realization of the Japan-Korea Tunnel from Seven Perspectives -
First of all, I would like to congratulate the formation of the Japan-Korea Tunnel Saga Prefectural Citizens' Council.
Today, I would like to discuss the significance of realizing the Japan-Korea Tunnel from seven perspectives.
The first issue is love for humanity.
The Japan-Korea Tunnel and International Highway concept was proposed in 1981 by Reverend Sun Myung Moon, founder of the Unification Movement. Its most fundamental concept can be summed up in one word: "love for humanity." Without this spirit, it would be impossible to truly transcend national interests and realize the Japan-Korea Tunnel and International Highway. This is because if Japan and Korea only considered their national interests, they would inevitably clash somewhere. The only way to overcome this is to change our way of thinking. How much money does humanity spend on war and military spending? We should use those funds for world peace, transcending the barriers of national interest, borders, and nationalism. Unless we adopt this mindset, it will be difficult to realize the Japan-Korea Tunnel and International Highway.
Despite all that has happened in the past, Japan and South Korea co-hosted the World Cup in 2002, and it was a spectacular success. In the same way, Japan will fully support the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in 2018, and South Korea will fully support the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. By working together to make the Olympics a success, Japan and South Korea will become closer in spirit. I believe that if we can do that, the tunnel issue will no longer be a major obstacle.
The second is to achieve "standardization of technology and industry" between Japan and Korea through "exchange of people, goods, and culture."
Furthermore, the realization of an international highway will enable technology and industry to spread throughout Asia and the world, achieving balanced development.
The third is "effective use of energy and resources."
The realization of the Japan-Korea Tunnel and International Highway will allow for a complete transportation system that can be put to effective use.
The fourth issue is human resources and economic impact.
Even just looking at East Asia, the scale is vast. China's population is 1.35 billion. Considering the Korean Peninsula, North and South Korea together have a population of 70 million. Japan has 120 million, meaning there are over 1.5 billion human resources in these two regions alone. India currently has over 1 billion people, and it's projected to reach 1.47 billion by 2027. The mere realization of this Japan-Korea tunnel would create a massive economic zone.
For example, in Saga Prefecture, we could create an economic zone with a radius of 500 kilometers centered around Tosu. Therefore, I want to emphasize that the economic impact of realizing the Japan-Korea tunnel has limitless potential.
The fifth is technical ability.
If Japan can make use of its current technological capabilities, it is entirely possible to build a Japan-Korea tunnel and an international highway. I also believe that Japan's technological capabilities can be further improved as it moves forward with the international highway.
Sixth, the realization of the Japan-Korea Tunnel will enable the creation of a rim-of-Japan economic zone.
This story is great news for the people of Hokuriku and Tohoku. The Sea of Japan coast will be directly connected to Russia, South Korea, and North Korea. In that sense, I think this can predict the coming of a new era.
The seventh issue is the issue of national sentiment and public opinion in Japan and South Korea.
What I would like to say here is that if, through tourism, cultural exchange, and mutual cooperation in the Olympics, Japan and Korea can become closer people, like before, or even closer than before, and international marriages between Japan and Korea become more common in a natural way, and exchanges between Japan and Korea become more frequent, national sentiment will be elevated.If we can create an atmosphere in which a Japan-Korea tunnel and international highway are naturally considered a given, then I am convinced that this can be realized.
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Excerpts from the lectures can be downloaded as PDFs.
