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Foreword

Ritsumeikan University was founded in 1869 (2nd year of the Meiji
Period) by Kinmochi Saionji to educate the youth, who were facing
challenges of the new era. The ideas of liberalism and internationalism
advocated by Prince Saionji had come into the spirit of 'academic
freedom and vivacity' being the bedrock of our university. Since that
time, we have been persistent in our efforts to meet the demands of
the modern society in a creative manner and according to the highest
standards.

The "Ritsumeikan Essay Contest" offers an opportunity for young people,
entering a new challenging era to share their attitudes with a wide
audience and ask vital questions to the world, in form of an essay.
The second Ritsumeikan Essay Contest, organized in 2002, was attended
by 899 excellent contributions. The array of subjects offered in this
edition of the Contest comprised 'What can we do to protect nature?',
'Living in the Asia Pacific area - Think of a new lifestyle', 'How
can we contribute to the society of the future?', 'Now it is time
to think about life', and 'Essay in English (free subject)'. We would
like to express our deepest gratitude for so many contributions, creatively
embracing the variety of subjects.

We hope that this collection will help you to refine your ability
to identify problems, treat them in a logical manner, and strengthen
your capacity of constructive problem solving in the future.
Ritsumeikan University
Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University
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