Michelle Obama talks girls rights, invites Abe to luncH

Education is the starting point for opportunity, U.S. first lady Michelle Obama said yesterday as she and her Japanese counterpart Akie Abe showcased efforts to help girls stay in or return to school.
“Like so many women I was able to achieve both my professional and personal goals because of my education,” Mrs. Obama said after Abe announced plans for Japan to support the “Let Girls Learn” project aimed at promoting education for girls in the developing world.
“My education is the starting point for every opportunity in my life,” Mrs. Obama said. “When we put limits on women’s lives we stifle their full potential.”
“Let Girls Learn” will support a variety of projects, from building toilets, providing security and helping girls afford or make school uniforms to encouraging greater awareness of the role education of both genders plays in sustainable economic development.
“But we all know that the problem here isn’t just about infrastructure and resources. It’s also about attitudes and beliefs. It’s about whether fathers — and mothers — think their daughters are as worthy of an education as their sons.”
The two first ladies have different backgrounds. The U.S. first lady is a Princeton-educated lawyer. Abe is the daughter of the former president of a leading Japanese confectioner, Morinaga & Co.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party has conservative views on gender equality, but the first lady is a businesswoman, owns a bar in downtown Tokyo, and supports local artists and craftsmen.
After attending a discussion session with Japanese college students and with Caroline Kennedy, the U.S. ambassador to Japan and daughter of President John F. Kennedy, Mrs. Obama ate lunch with Mrs. Abe at her restaurant, Uzu. She later told the prime minister that it was delicious.
“I’ve actually never been there,” Abe quipped.
“Maybe next time I come to visit, you can join us,” Mrs. Obama said. Elaine Kurtenbach, Tokyo, AP