Address by Her Majesty the Empress (1995)

Address Delivered by H. M. Empress Michiko on the occasion of the 25th Conference of the International Federation of University Women (August 19, 1995)

It gives me great pleasure to greet the participants of the twenty-fifth Triennial Conference of the International Federation of University Women. I remember so vividly and with such pleasure the eighteenth Conference of the IFUW, which was held in Tokyo. Some of you must have been there, twenty-one years ago. I look back with deep emotion on the twenty-one years that have elapsed since then -- years in which the world experienced great progress as well as great sorrow.

In 1975, a year after your Conference, the UN launched the International Women's Year, which was immediately followed by the establishment of the UN decade for Women. It was most significant that the rights and dignity of women as human beings, together with various other questions regarding women, should have been discussed, on a worldwide basis, during those ten years. The different situations in which nations were placed, and the historical and cultural diversity that existed, may have made the discussions difficult. But the efforts made by many women, who tolerated and embraced all the differences and complexities, have succeeded in fostering solidarity. Thus they have brought to light what, in society and at home, stands in the way of women achieving self-development, at the same time, broadening anew our outlook on the problems confronting women all over the world. The results of such efforts, I believe, are reflected in the motto of your Conference and in the themes of the professional seminars and workshops.

The term “girl child” which I have come across in some of your discussion topics, sounded new and fresh to me. Here in Japan, as well as in many parts of the world I have travelled in, I have always found great pleasure in meeting girl children who seemed radiantly to embody the future in their little bodies. But from the fact that your Conference has taken up their problems, as will the Fourth World Conference on Women to be held in Beijing, perhaps we must realize the severe conditions in which girl children of the world are trying to survive today. I cannot help but pray that none of these children, whether born or as yet unborn, will ever be exposed to violence, but that they will be loved, respected and given the opportunity to develop their innate potentialities.

This year happens to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War. In these fifty years, although world wars have been avoided, many regional conflicts have taken place, and so I am greatly interested in your discussion on the theme of “peace”. Must peace always be a distant target in spite of our constant aspiration for it? What are the situations in which feelings of hatred that disturb the equilibrium of peace are born, and in what way do they develop into violence? Living in the present time under the burden of a long history, I think we must endeavor not only to live each day peacefully but also to understand the true nature of the various forms of hatred the past has left with us, and try to keep them from developing into violence and wars. At the same time, I think it very important to realize that the roughness of the road to peace should not sink us into despair and apathy. Perhaps we should try harder to encourage ourselves, turning our eyes equally to the joys of progress that humanity has achieved, sharing the good news of what has been done in many areas and nations -- good news which is not wanting even today.

The structure of the Cold War has collapsed and, in spite of difficulties, many nations are now making new starts as free nations. In South Africa, the history of antagonism has at last found a road to reconciliation. The question of environment defies optimism, but more and more people are coming to deeper realization and are beginning to act. Each year as I watch young volunteers taking off to plant trees in distant deserts, their faith, their will and courage add a little touch of green to the desert in my mind's eye.

Your Conference is taking place in the middle of our hottest season. I hope you will all take good care of your health and have a fruitful gathering. When the Conference is over and you return to your posts of responsibility, there to resume your work as true instruments of peace, may the memories of your joint endeavors at this Conference in Yokohama serve to sustain you in all your undertakings. Best wishes to you all.