Kuniaki Kawahata - Summit Director

Mr. Kawahata has been teaching English over 20 years. It all started with a small middle school in Gokayama, a mountainous area recently designated as a world heritage site. He enjoys reading and listening to jazz and classical music. His favorite author is Pearl Buck, a nobel prize laureate famous for the novel "Good Earth.

Later he was transferred to the Toyama College of Foreign Languages, a public vocational school of English. The school is very unique in that all the classes are given in English and that it has 10 native speakers of English, full-time or part-time, on the teaching staff. He was assistant professor for most of his 14 years there. During that time, he went to California four times with students on a program called "Study Trip" and jouneyed to southeast Asian countries once as a member of a goodwill delegation from Toyama City. In this respect, he is internationally-minded. The real Mr. Kawahata, however, is a weekend farmer with five children who is deeply rooted in Japanese rural tradition. This stark contrast contributes much to his character and stance on environmental issues. He enjoys trekking mountains in early spring and the height of summer. Jogging about six kilometers is part of his daily routine.

One year has passed since he entered the world of high school education at Daimon High School. Helping students with the Perth Summit was a highlight of the past year. He is determined to do his best for the benefit of all delegates who are coming to Japan for the next International Youth Environmental Summit in August, 2001.