For nearly 30 years, I have been involved in nurturing the next generation of leaders. A few years ago, when I retired as the representative of ETIC., which was the foundation of my work, I began to explore the world by broadening the time and space axes, and I had the opportunity to connect with Indigenous communities around the world, which have a history of several thousand years. There, I learned from their ancient worldview and have been working to support them.

As a result of this, I have been meeting more and more world leaders who are seeking new worldviews across America, Europe, and Asia. They seem to have the same deep expectations for Japan as I do for the wisdom of indigenous peoples. Their expectations go beyond mere respect for a different culture with a long history, and they are looking to Japan for the possibility of finding hints for the future.

Since last year, I have been inviting world leaders to Japan with Kotaro Aoki, and we have been talking about the future while making pilgrimages to various places. Overseas leaders who are successful in capitalism in Western society but feel its limitations are looking for a future of creative civilization that transcends East and West. By engaging in dialogue with participants from overseas in Japan, I feel that new possibilities are opening up.

Historically, leaders have taken the lead in solving urgent social needs. I have worked with leaders in my career, and many of them have started companies and brought about change in society through services and products. However, as the younger generation of leaders face today’s world challenges, they are faced with the barriers of thought and action that humanity has accumulated over the past few hundred years. Many people feel that it will be difficult to fundamentally solve the problems if we continue within the traditional framework.

Against this backdrop, the next generation of leaders is being asked to look at the world from an infinitely broader and deeper perspective and to have an integrated view of themselves and the world. This is a new attempt in the history of humanity, and world leaders are just beginning to explore it. Aaron Pereira, Co-Lead of The Wellbeing Project, one of such global exploration networks, contacted us, and we decided to organize Hearth Summit Kyoto.

The summit in Kyoto will be a rare opportunity for young people from around the world to come together and envision the future together without being bound by existing frameworks. Through this project to create this summit together, we hope to accompany young leaders on their quest and contribute to the creation of a new society. I sincerely look forward to meeting young people who share the same vision for this project and are willing to work together to build the future.

Haruo Miyagi