On this auspicious occasion of the Fukuoka Prize 2019 Award Ceremony today, I wish to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Professor Randolf David, laureate of the Grand Prize, Professor Leonard Blussé, laureate of the Academic Prize, and Mr. Makoto Sato, laureate of the Arts and Culture Prize on receiving their awards.

Furthermore, it is most gratifying that this Prize is celebrating its milestone 30th Anniversary on this occasion, and I would like to express my deep respect to Fukuoka City and its citizens for their dedication to developing this Prize, and to everyone else involved.

The “Fukuoka Prize”, which was established through the collaboration between the city, academia and private businesses, has honored those with distinguished achievements in causes that respect the distinctive and diverse cultures of Asia that have been handed on over the generations, and that contribute to the preservation and continuation of Asian cultures, as well as creating new culture and promoting academic research on Asia. Since its establishment, the Prize has played a remarkably meaningful role in acknowledging Asian culture and demonstrating its value to the world.

Having frequently visited Asian countries, I have given some thought to Asia’s depth and wealth of culture, including the distinctive history, languages, folklore, and arts that have been formed and developed over a long period amid its diverse climate and natural environment. I have come to feel strongly the importance of continuing to preserve, pass on, and further develop this cultural heritage, and in this regard, I recognize the great importance of academic research for an in-depth understanding of Asia.

I visited Bhutan with my family last month. Within the limited observations I made during this trip, I found it fascinating to see the transitions in culture and in the people’s livelihoods resulting from their varying natural surroundings, with altitude di_erences of as much as 2,000 meters at di_erent locations. I was reminded that it is important to consider the cultural diversity of Asia from also this type of perspective.

I believe that by being shared with society as a whole and passed on to future generations, the outstanding achievements of the three laureates will become a valuable asset of mankind.

In closing my address at this Award Ceremony, I would like to congratulate the distinguished laureates once again. I hope that the Fukuoka Prize will continue to enhance the understanding of the respective regions of Asia, and further promote peace and friendship throughout the international community.

Your Imperial Highnesses Crown Prince and Crown Princess Akishino, Mayor Takashima, fellow awardees, ladies and gentlemen. I am grateful to the citizens of Fukuoka for choosing me to be among the recipients of the Fukuoka Prize on its 30th anniversary. I am filled with strong feelings that what we are honoring by these awards are not so much our personal achievements, but the timeless and enduring values of friendship, cooperation, solidarity. It is these ideals that drive—citizens of di_erent nations—to come together every year in this historic and cosmopolitan city of Fukuoka to celebrate the creation, development and preservation of the best of Asia’s culture. I am truly humbled to be counted as part of this community that calmly asserts its voice above the noise of hostile confrontation.

I was born a few months after the end of the Pacific war. I was lucky to be raised by parents who did not believe in passing on the scars of war to their offspring. I had heard stories of untold atrocities, brutality and betrayal committed during the war. But I was also made aware of the many kindnesses and acts of honor that individuals on both sides of the conflict were capable of giving in the direst of times. The first time I brought my Japanese friend Yoshiyuki Tsurumi to my parents’ home, my mother warmly welcomed him with a greeting in Nihongo. How my mother acted made a lot of difference in the way she and her family were treated during the war, it allowed her and Tsurumi to relate to one another simply as one human being to another.

In the nearly four decades that I have been coming to this beautiful country, I have made many friends among the Japanese people. I have seen in these friendships the countless things we have come to admire in one another. Honor, keeping one’s word, mutual respect, generosity, compassion and service. These transcendent values, which are found in every culture, give meaning to what we do in our everyday lives. They enable us to overcome the narcissism of minor differences that result from the accidents of race, ethnicity, religion and nationality. I like to think it is these enduring values of human friendship and cooperation that will save human civilization from destruction.

Finally, I would like to accept this award in the name of all peace-loving Filipinos, and to humbly share it with my wife who is not here with us tonight. My wife Karina passed away in May. This is for her.

Since old times, Kyushu was the most open of the Japanese islands to the world. Although oceans divide the continents, they also connect them. As Confucius said, “within the four seas, all men are brothers.”

I have spent most of my life studying the maritime history of Asia and the history of trade between Asia and the West. I think there is no better place for me to receive this distinguished prize than the famous ancient port town of Hakata.

When I was a student, I was fortunate enough to have studied under the best anthropologists and historians in Taiwan, Japan, and China. When I started teaching, I wanted to give something back to them, so I accepted exchange students from all over Asia. Many of these students went on to become university professors, and they are now invaluable research partners of mine.

I would like to dedicate this prize to all the Asian scholars who have kindly taken care of me then and now.

In my private and professional life, I have strived to support researchers and young students coming from overseas. I shared with them historical materials, personal knowledge, and my ideas about analytical techniques. This kind of effort is extremely important, and I think it must continue worldwide.

Historical research is based upon the critical analysis of primary resources. Today, the international community is threatened by identity politics, nationalism, and religious ideologies that favor the collective interest of certain groups. However, it is my hope that the study of history will continue to serve as a healthy antidote to these sentiments.

Your Imperial Highnesses Crown Prince and Crown Princess Akishino, Mayor Takashima, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, and the citizens of Fukuoka, I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for inviting me here as one of the recipients of the Fukuoka Prize on its 30th anniversary.

Fukuoka brings back memories for me. For 20 years in the 1970s and 1980s, I came here many times to perform with the Black Tent Theater on their nationwide tours. I fondly remember putting up our tent in Maizuru Park and Nishi Park and staying up all night talking to the many people we met. Theatrical expression is both pure and ephemeral. It only exists in a certain place for a certain time, and when it’s over it leaves no trace. So, for me and my colleagues in the theater world, memories are particularly invaluable.

With the advancement of information technology, we now live in a world where it is possible to easily and cleanly record images and sounds and share them with people all over the world instantaneously.

However, this kind of information cannot capture and bring to life the spirit of human experience and emotion like a memory that we have memorized with our body and our senses and that we can ccasionally recount to others. As a person of the theater whose work has relied solely on trusting the people in the room, I made many memories in the 20 years I spent traveling with tent theaters to 120 cities inside and outside Japan and the 40 years I spent developing friendships with theater people throughout Asia, but today I have created a new one. I would like to share this happiness and gratitude with all of these friends.

I have the utmost respect for Fukuoka, a city that turned its sights to Asia before anywhere else in Japan to become a bridge into a new era, and that, for 30 years, has been discovering, passing on, and creating value and forging bonds among the people of Asia.