Japanese Here To Write Articles About N.Z.

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31028, 6 April 1966, Page 18

Japanese Here To Write Articles About N.Z.

A Japanese free-lance writer, Mr J. Eto, said in Christchurch yesterday he had gained the impression that New Zealand was very cautious about American intentions in any proposed Pacific common market. Mr Eto, who is in the Dominion at the invitation of the Government to write general articles about New Zealand, said that one of the subjects he wanted to find out about was attitudes to a Pacific market. From what he had heard during his travels he had

gained the impression that there was a fear the United States might dominate such a common market. Mr Eto said he considered there was a good possibility of a trade triangle of Australia, Japan, and New Zealand rather than any broader con-

cept of a trading market in the Pacific area.

On his return to Japan Mr Eto is to write general articles about the Dominion for a leading intellectual magazine and for three newspapers, two of which are national with extensive circulations. He said he intended to explain New Zealand’s growing awareness of Japan and Asia generally, as evidenced by the Asian studies programmes conducted by the universities. This was very commendable, he said.

As the Asian studies programmes appeared to be still in their infancy in New Zealand, they might be improved by - closer co-ordination of universities conducting such studies. This would prevent an overlapping of work, he said.

Another way of developing such studies, he said, was to exchange lecturers and professors between Japanese and New Zealand universities.

Much was already known in Japan of Australia’s interest in his country, but little was known of New Zealand’s friendly relations towards Japan. It was his intention, in a modest way, to tell of this in his articles, he said. Mr Eto. is a lecturer in modern Japanese literature at Keio University. He also lectures on American civilisation at the Tokyo University of Education. In 1962 he was awarded a Rockefeller Foundation fellowship in creative writing, and this enabled him to study for two years at Princeton University. He later lectured at that university for a year on the history of Japanese literature.