Santer, Kohl, Chirac: Foreign Visitors to Keio University

2016/04/04

President Santer on the podium

I wonder if you recognize the surnames of the three foreigners who visited Mita about 20 years ago in the fall of 1996. While many may remember German Chancellor Helmut Kohl and French President Jacques Chirac, I imagine few are familiar with Mr. Santer.

Jacques Santer is a former Prime Minister of Luxembourg (who organized three cabinets from July 1984 to January 1995, concurrently serving as Minister of State, Minister of Finance, and Minister of Culture) and was serving as the President of the European Commission of the EU (European Union) at the time.

The relationship between Japan and the EC (European Community) / EU (since November 1993) was long a history of trade friction. The Japanese surplus and EC deficit since 1968 were the biggest issues. However, against the backdrop of the end of the Cold War, Japan, the EC, and its member states adopted the "Hague Declaration" on July 18, 1991, seeking consultation and cooperation in broad fields such as "global issues (politics, economy, aid to developing countries, environment, resources/energy, international crime)," science and technology, academic/cultural exchange, and youth exchange. Institutionally, annual Japan-EC/EU summits between the Japanese Prime Minister, the President of the European Council (country), and the President of the European Commission were regularized.

This was Mr. Santer's third visit to Japan, attending the 5th Japan-EU Summit held in Tokyo on September 30, 1996, as an invited state guest. On that occasion, a special lecture titled "The EU and Japan: Common Interests, Common Challenges" was held at the Mita North Building Hall on October 4 (Mita-hyoron (official monthly journal published by Keio University Press) No. 986).

There was a backstory to this lecture. Keio University had previously conferred an honorary doctorate on the former President of the European Commission, Jacques Delors. This was on July 5, 1993. He was recognized for completing the "Internal Market" by the end of 1992 through the "Single European Act" (effective July 1, 1987), which amended the basic treaties to revitalize the European economy stagnant after two oil crises, and for reviving the Economic and Monetary Union through the "Treaty on European Union" (also known as the Maastricht Treaty, signed February 7, 1992), paving the way for the introduction of the unified currency "Euro." Preparations were being made for a commemorative ceremony during his visit to Japan for the 19th G7 Summit (Tokyo Summit). However, a "doctor's stop" was issued because he could not withstand a long flight due to sciatica. Vice-President Henning Christophersen attended the Tokyo Summit in his stead, and at Mita, Pascal Lamy, Head of the Delors Cabinet (later European Commissioner for Trade and Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO)), received the diploma as a proxy. The commemorative lecture was canceled, and I only remember the opening words of Head of Cabinet Lamy's remarks at the ceremony held at the Enzetsukan (Public Speaking Hall): "I stand here with a sense of embarrassment." Regarding the conferral of an honorary doctorate to a proxy, former President Tadao Ishikawa later cautioned me, saying, "It should have been given directly to the individual." I attempted to urge President Delors twice directly at the World EU Studies Association in Brussels, saying, "My students are waiting," but in the end, the commemorative lecture never happened. President Delors completed his two terms (10 years), and President Santer took over in January 1995 (Note: original text says 1998, likely a typo for 1995), which I understand led to the special lecture in '96.

On November 2, a large tour bus pulled up to the Ginkgo Tree in the Quad at Mita, and Chancellor Kohl was seen sitting firmly in the front seat (occupying two seats). To me, who had expected a Mercedes ambassadorial car, it was the appearance of a giant beyond imagination. Perhaps because of that, or perhaps due to time constraints, the ceremony was held in Hall 518 of the West School Building instead of the Enzetsukan (Public Speaking Hall) usually used for honorary doctorate conferral ceremonies.

Mr. Kohl took office as Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (then West Germany) on October 4, 1982, and served for 16 years until October 27, 1998, longer than Konrad Adenauer's 14 years, recording the longest tenure in the postwar era. His greatest achievement was the unification of East and West Germany on October 3, 1990, in less than a year without using military force, following the fall of the "Berlin Wall" on November 9, 1989. This pulled down the "Iron Curtain" that divided East and West Europe, leading to the dissolution of the Eastern Bloc's COMECON (Council for Mutual Economic Assistance) and the Warsaw Pact, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the end of the Cold War.

Keio University first conferred the title of honorary doctorate on a politician to Prime Minister Nehru of India (refer to the previous issue of Mita-hyoron (official monthly journal published by Keio University Press)). The first European politician to be awarded the title was the first West German Chancellor Adenauer, on April 1, 1960. Furthermore, from Germany, it was also granted to the 5th West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt on March 13, 1991.

His sixth visit to Japan was an informal working visit, but the main agenda was economic cooperation between Germany and Japan, especially in Central and Eastern Europe. Chancellor Kohl's commemorative lecture was titled "The Roles Played by Japan and Germany" (Mita-hyoron (official monthly journal published by Keio University Press) No. 987).

On November 18, while the excitement of Chancellor Kohl's visit to the Juku had not yet cooled, the honorary doctorate conferral ceremony and commemorative lecture for President Jacques Chirac of France, who had led European integration as Germany's partner, were held. He was the second French politician to receive the honor, following former Prime Minister Raymond Barre on April 24, 1991. Mr. Chirac contributed to the stability of Europe and the world and significantly to the development of Japan-France relations as Prime Minister during the era of "cohabitation" under President François Mitterrand, as Mayor of Paris, and as President since May 1995.

Mr. Chirac had been interested in Asian, especially Japanese, culture and history since his youth and loved watching Grand Sumo, having visited Japan 43 times by then. However, as the President of the French Republic is the head of state, this visit was his first official visit as a state guest. The commemorative lecture was titled "A New Encounter Between France and Japan" and was held in Hall 518 of the Mita West School Building (Mita-hyoron (official monthly journal published by Keio University Press) No. 988).

Although the formats of their visits differed, all three had audiences with His Majesty the Emperor and held summit meetings with Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto, a Keio University alumni. Tracing the footsteps of these three visits to the Juku, I would like to reconsider the meaning of the year 1996.

First, it was a period when not only the United States but also the EU began to act as a global actor under the Maastricht Treaty to resolve "global issues" and form a new international order after the end of the Cold War. At that time, the characteristic of the EU was to seek problem-solving through multilateral cooperation rather than unilateralism like the US, and Asian countries, including Japan, were chosen as partners. The Japan-EC "Joint Declaration" was part of this, and the first Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) summit held in Bangkok in March 1996 is another example.

Second, for third countries maintaining relations with the EU, it became necessary to develop a double-track diplomacy: relations with the EU and bilateral relations with EU member states. For example, for Japan, it was necessary to maintain bilateral relations with the 15 member states as of 1996, such as Japan-Germany and Japan-France relations, simultaneously with Japan-EU relations. This is an issue arising from the jurisdictional relationship between the EU and its member states, and the visits of the three leaders and the titles and contents of their commemorative lectures at Mita are evidence of this. Moreover, a feature of '96 was that the frameworks for strengthening bilateral relations with major member states were updated, and further consultation and cooperation were promoted. On May 20, the "Action Plan for Japan-Germany Partnership" was agreed upon in Berlin; on September 2, the "Action Plan for a Special Partnership" between Japan and the UK was signed in Tokyo; and furthermore, during President Chirac's visit, the "20 Measures for Japan-France Cooperation Toward the 21st Century" were signed with Prime Minister Hashimoto on November 18, the day of the commemorative lecture.

Third, although Japan's economic situation was by no means favorable after the bubble burst, it was an era when Japan was still the second-largest economic power after the US in terms of GDP and ranked first in Official Development Assistance (ODA) by country, and both the EU and its member states were seeking to develop partnerships with Japan.

The front-row seats of the three lecture venues were fully occupied by undergraduate and graduate students from my seminar. This was because they were studying European, especially EU, politics, but also for the protection of VIPs to ensure no unidentified persons were seated there.

Finally, I would like to quote the words Chancellor Kohl left for Keio students 20 years ago: "You are the hope of the country and the future of the country. (...) Seize the chance. Take life firmly into your hands and create something from it. Go out into the world. In Asia, in Europe, and everywhere in the world, join forces with other people, your neighbors and friends, and contribute in your own way for a prosperous future, for your colleagues and families, and for your country, Japan." It is generally said that recent university students are inward-looking. I am confident that Keio students are not.