2019/12/19

On Monday, December 9th, former diplomat Mark J. Davidson gave a lecture titled, “The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election, Japan and the Indo-Pacific Region”. Having worked in the U.S. Department of State for 28 years, Mr. Davidson spoke of the importance of having a global perspective. “We might possibly see a change in our administration. The state of this world will also change. The international community must be ready to accept these changes. We’ll need people who can work collaboratively and move forward together.”

The lecture was held in Room 171, where over a hundred people came to listen, including students of the Faculty of Foreign Languages’ Department of Global Affairs and the Faculty of Global Engagement’s Department of Global Studies, as well as exchange students. Mr. Davidson has served in various positions such as the Minister-Counselor for Public Affairs of the U.S. Embassy in Japan, and is the current Director of Government and External Affairs at Amway Japan G.K. “The 2016 election has divided the country. Since then, more people have become interested in the upcoming election. Today, the impeachment inquiry against President Trump is ongoing, and the Democratic presidential candidate will also be decided next year. We might have a female candidate,” said Mr. Davidson.

There was one student who sat in the front row and was listening intently, eagerly taking notes as if writing down every word she heard. She asked Mr. Davidson, “what should we do to inspire young Japanese people to keep their motivation high about the election?” Mr. Davidson closed his lecture by giving words of encouragement to his audience: “I hope that you will develop a sense of imagination and resilience, and the attitude to rise to your feet again no matter how many times you fall.”

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