'Closer Together'

Tongan Vessel Receives A Japanese Name

Japan, Tonga Move 'Closer Together'

Japan and the Kingdom of plcHunii Wme Minister of Tonga, and a ent purchase of a fishing vessel from Japan, have “greatly strength :d” friendly relations between the two countries.

E relationship is to be still urther strengthened next year vhen a Japanese university goes to Tonga, at the invita of the Tongan Government, to j out research into the resources ie Kingdom and its surrounding I this information was con >d in a broadcast from Radio ; n on February 3—which was •ded by PIM. t the present moment there is ;asure ship heading from Japan ;he South Pacific,” said the dcaster. “But its treasure is gold or silver. In fact, the sure has already been found, in the ship, its crew, and the 7 behind the purchase we ess something more valuable i gold or silver. The treasure, ou wish to call it such, is the blishment of close commercial cultural friendship between in and the tiny Island nation jue n Salote Tupou.

Several years back, when few lie of our nation were aware ;he Tonga or Friendly Islands ;hey are sometimes referred to, ■e was little or almost no ;act. Most here thought of these ids as a South Pacific Paradise, arden-of-Eden-like little nation, a British Protectorate which e of us would ever visit.

Radio Will Take Part roday, not only is the fishing t with the Japanese skipper and v already on its way, but other anese will follow. Next summer fientifis survey team from Tokyo [ Osaka Universities will visit islands. Its main mission will to study the possibilities of eloping Tonga’s fishery, farm, I forestry resources. Part of expenses for sending this study up to Tonga will be shared by Japan Broadcasting Corpora- Because of the current interest •e in Tonga, the Japan Broad ting Corporation has made icial arrangements for reports the survey mission.

The activity and interest here, in

Tonga and its people, comes as a follow-up to the recently concluded visit to P Japan of Tonga’s Prime Minister, Prince Tungi-and, believe it is not, the visit of the Prince was in part the climax of a relationship which started with one modest Japanese girl and some Japanese dolls.

The girl is a student of Euro pean history at Tokyo’s Meiji University. Her first real contact with anyone from these islands came in the spring of 1958.

Strong Interest

“During a World Christian Educa tion Conference here she met a missionary who had just come from Tonga. Following her conversation with the missionary, Teiko—for that was the student’s name—sent Queen Salote Tupou a small Japanese doll —a model of a Japanese farmer.

The doll was sent chiefly in appreciation of what she had heard,

and the desire to make some sort of friendly gesture.

“In November she was pleasantly surprised by a letter of thanks from the Queen. The Queen indicated strong interest in Japan and things Japanese. Teiko then formed a Tonga Islands Friendship Club with some of her school and neighbour hood friends, and that Christmas sent 10 more Japanese dolls to the Island Queen.

“The Prince came to Japan late last year. His main mission of course was to buy this fishing boat and to hire the Japanese crew to teach his people modern and new techniques for catching tuna. But one of his chief desires was to meet the little girl who had sent the dolls and had started the current interest of one nation in the other.

“Late last month (December) Teiko and her father were received by the visiting prince at his Tokyo hotel suite.

“ ‘The meeting with the stately Prince, who is over six feet tall, was like of a dream,’ said Teiko later.

“But dream-like as it may have seemed to Teiko, the meeting was very real. And also very real is the new relationship between Tonga and Japan. It cannot help con tinue to grow, with all its healthy and worthwhile implications”, the broadcast concluded.

Tonga’s thanks to Teiko, the Tokyo University student, has been expressed by giving her name to the new tuna long-liner which was expected at Nukualofa late in February. (See Pacific Report, page 136)

Prince Tungi, Prime Minister of Tonga, who has just returned from his second visit to Japan.

Queen Salote, who received a Japanese doll from Teiko, after whom the new Tongan fishing vessel is named.