Report

Findings and suggestions on

the world youth visit exchange association ANd

its program

For the people of yap to protect themselves from being exploited by the Japanese corrupt fund

overview

On the 1^st of August 2002, 80 Japanese children from grade 5^th to 8^th will arrive in Yap with about ten adult group leaders & coordinators. The program has been presented and organized by the World Youth Visit Exchange Association (WYVEA), one of the incorporated foundations in Japan, whose budget heavily depends on the National Treasury subsidy.

The government of Yap State, some businesses and village communities are asked to provide good assistance and hospitality with “minimum” compensation because the organization had already invited 11 children from Yap to Japan in exchange and their goal for voluntarily doing so is for a mutual cultural exchange. Is this true?

The following findings made me fully convinced that the WYVEA’s International Exchange Program for Boys & Girls (the Program) funded by the Kodomo Yume Kikin (Children’s Dream Fund) is foul with the corrupt Japanese politicians, bureaucrats and its money eaters. All the citizens of the FSM and the Republic of Palau who are voluntarily or involuntarily involved with the Program must be informed of the situation to make their best decisions.

background
Where the program fund comes from?

Even though the WYVEA had been founded and operated for decades by the fund from many governmental and non-governmental sources, it was not until last year (2001) for them to start the Program. The attached is the copies of the WYVEA’s budget for the last fiscal year from April 1, 2001 through March 31, 2002. (Please find * marked area on the page #1.) The amount of over US$2.5 million was all of sudden added to the WYVEA’s budget from the FY2001 and made the organization’s total budget to over US$7 million, which increased by more than 35% from the previous fiscal year. Where did the money come from?

During his short service as Prime Minister, Mr. Yoshiro Mori tried hard to make his secret sources of revenue secured after his resignation. Mr. Mori had “happened to get” the position as the result of his political party’s internal strife after the sudden death of the former Prime Minister Mr. Keizo Obuchi. The disappointment in his leadership spread over the country and the percentage supporting him and his cabinet had gotten the worst record in Japan’s history, always lingering below 9 percent. But somehow he made it through to create Kodomo Yume Kikin (Children’s Dream Fund) out of the National Treasury and it was budgeted from the FY2001 right after his resignation.

Mr. Yoshiro Mori is often backbitten even by his colleagues from the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) as the man with shark’s brain (he is thoughtless), with flea’s heart (he is extremely timid) and with elephant seal’s penis (he is too fond of women).
How will the money be used?

The WYVEA organized and operated the “Junior Science Cruise” program bringing over 400 Japanese children to Guam on a cruise ship in August 2001 out of the newly created “Children’s Dream Fund”. They also collected about US$650.00 per participating child that made about US$300 thousand income making their total budget for the program to US$3 million. (Please see the attached page #2)

If the government once approves a fund, unless the commissioned agent neglect to make the necessary paper works, or someone could come up with firm proof to cut the budget, there will be hardly much changes. So we could estimate this year’s budget to be as the same, around US$3 million or even over.

The Program of this year is to send 240 children from Japan to Micronesia, 80 to Palau, 80 to Yap, 40 to Chuuk and 40 to Pohnpei. The participants are also to pay 75,000 Yen (around US$650.00). The two of the biggest travel agencies in Japan, the JTB for Palau and the Nippon Travel Agency for the FSM handle all the travels of the Program. Both travel agencies are handling 240 children, 50 to 60 accompanying adults from Japan and about 50 children and adults from Micronesia to Japan in exchange. If you simply divide US$3 million by 350 (the estimated total number of round trip between Japan and Micronesia), you will get the budget per head, which is US$8571.43. The major travel agencies would receive whole sale rates for airfare and hotels even if they charter a jet. So I guess the actual cost for the travel per head could not be greater than US$1500. It could be less than US$1000 for the travel to Yap, figuring from their itinerary. What the tasty business it serves!

Of course all the escorting adults from Japan (organizers and coordinators) will get well paid while the JTB and the Nippon Travel Agency enjoys its extremely high profitability. However the real point for us to see is that, to ensure next year’s business from the same fund, both travel agencies would bring (or have already brought) quite a large sum of money to Mr. Mori’s pocket. This is what Mr. Mori had plotted when he created this fund.

isn’t it illegal for a polititian to do so?

Yes, it’s illegal when found and prosecuted. A member of the House of Representatives, Muneo Suzuki was recently arrested and prosecuted for continuously taking bribes out of the ODA.

could the children from Yap enjoy japan?

The itinerary for the delegation (11 children and 2 adult escorts) made me very surprised because I know the distance among the cities where they had traveled. Out of their 12 days in Japan, nearly 5 days were spent for moving from the east to the west then back to the east across the country. They stayed in many places and visited temples, a zoo, a museum, a car factory, garbage processing plant, etc. and even climbed Mt. Fuji, but only a few hours on one day were spent with the Japanese families. The accommodations provided were 6 nights in relatively inexpensive hotels and the rest were the training facilities for the youth. The meals provided were all from the restaurants or the dining room of the facilities except for one dinner with the Japanese families.

I wonder if the 11 children from Yap could ever have enjoyed Japan with this tough sightseeing itinerary. Didn’t anyone of them feel sick? Could they get any chance to communicate with the same age group there? Didn’t they miss the food from Yap? Could they feel the Japanese hospitality by heart not by materials? Let’s ask them…

will the program provide a mutual cultural exchange?

It is hard to say that the Program could provide a mutual cultural exchange to bring fruitful future for Yap and Japan relationship because:

Only 11 children were invited to Japan while 80 children are to be brought to Yap. It’s not fair in numbers and the provided travel’s effect on the children is questionable.

The government, some private businesses and the communities of Yap State are asked to “take good care” of the Japanese group, providing them free services or big discounts. This approach does not look fair.

The Program’s budget has not honestly been explained and their preparation for bringing 80 children to Yap seems extremely poor, which indicates their lacking of the passion to make the best achievement for their promised goal.

Conclusion

Thus I am convinced that the WYVEA’s International Exchange Program for Boys & Girls funded by the Kodomo Yume Kikin (Children’s Dream Fund) will bring no benefit to Yap State and its community.

The involved businesses and the communities must be prepared to make the best negotiations with the Program’s coordinators to ensure their expenses, services and any effort to provide good hospitality to the Program participants be reasonably covered, compensated and paid for.

suggestions

The following is my suggestions to protect the interests and the dignity of whom involved. If the negotiations get difficult, you may show them this report to backup your request. They will be frightened at this, which is prepared with the facts provided by many people from Japan who have real common sense including some news reporters, by whom the ex-member of the House of Representatives, Suzuki was put in prison. When they start desperately to defend themselves, please enjoy it observing who is telling the truth. In fact nobody from Yap would be hurt by your requesting fair compensations for your services.

(To the Village Communities)

Please try not to accept any groups from the Program.

Please get practical compensation as much as possible from the Program if decided to accept. But never provide anything for free.

If anyone of them mentions their authority or threatening words, such as “this is Japan government’s program and we invited your children to Japan. You should provide us the same in return”, record WHO, WHAT, WHERE and WHEN did so in writing.

(To the Hotels & other Businesses)

Please never give them any special offer that exceeds your regular agent net price.

If anyone of them mentions threatening words, such as “if you don’t cooperate with us, you won’t be able to get any future business from our agent”, please record WHO, WHAT, WHERE and WHEN did so in writing.

Please keep all the receipts. Watch out how the coordinators treat the children and spend money.

GOOD LUCK!

Su Mitsue Yasui