The G7 Education Ministers’ Meeting in Toyama and Kanazawa entered its third day on May 14 (Sun.). The delegates gathered early in the morning at Toyama Station to move from Toyama, where they had spent two days, to Kanazawa. Local people performed the traditional “Etchu Owara” folk dance on the Shinkansen platform to see the ministers off.

The delegates traveled in the Hokuriku Shinkansen’s highly regarded Gran Class car. The trip taking only 20 minutes, the delegates seemed to enjoy themselves.

When they arrived at Kanazawa Station, they were met by Ishikawa Prefecture Governor Hase and Miss Kaga Yuzen and other local representatives dressed in kimono.

The delegates then headed to the meeting venue and soon got down to business.
Their agenda themes for that day were “fostering learners to interconnect social challenges and innovations for growth” and “re-connecting the world: the role of international education exchange by all persons involved”. Positive discussion was held on fostering human resources who can respond to increasingly complex global issues and on the importance of international educational exchange and international students.
 
The results of the discussion were summarized and the “Toyama-Kanazawa Declaration” was adopted.

Click here for a more detailed article on the “Toyama-Kanazawa Declaration”.

Before lunch, a chorus of high school students from Kanazawa performed the songs “Sukiyaki” and “Flower.” The delegates gave the high school students with their beautiful singing voices a hearty applause. After that the students, who had been nervous up to then, posed with the delegates for photographs. Everyone seemed to enjoy the experience.

Click here for the third-day report ② on the visits to the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art and the National Crafts Museum and the dinner in Kanazawa Castle Park