Yesterday, we held the junior high school entrance ceremony.

This year, we welcomed 37 new students. Most of them advanced from AMICUS Elementary School, and we were also pleased to welcome four transfer students who have joined our community and begun their junior high school life with us.

As I prepared for the ceremony, I gave careful thought to what message I should share with the new students.

As I look at the current state of the world, where wars still continue, I am reminded of a passage from a book by Ituko Teruoka that I read several years ago.

The passage says:

“The opposite of war is not peace, but communication.”

The book says that a peaceful society can be built only when people keep talking to each other.

At AMICUS, we have 21 international teachers from nine different countries.

Our Japanese teachers also come from nine different regions of Japan, including Okinawa.

Our students, too, come from many parts of Japan, including Okinawa, and we also have many children from international families living in Okinawa. This diversity is one of the great strengths of AMICUS.

At the same time, the more diverse a community is, the more difficult it can be to understand one another. That is why the ability to continue communication without giving up is so important.

As our new students begin this new stage of their lives, they may meet friends whose ideas and ways of thinking are very different from their own, and at times they may feel confused or overwhelmed.

However, it is precisely at such moments that I hope they will not turn away, but will continue to engage in communication with patience and sincerity.

These experiences are what help children grow.

And I believe this ability is exactly the kind of strength that society will increasingly need in the years ahead.

All of us will also continue to value patient and sincere communication with our students as we support their growth.

We sincerely appreciate your continued understanding and cooperation in our educational activities.