Michelle Obama, Akie Abe announce plans to support girls' education

I made a mistake and I've seen similar comments saying Obama should worry about the US kids and why come here when Japan is ranked 5th in the world in education, she should go to Africa.

Michelle Obama didn't come here to bring the Let Girls Learn program to Japan or to criticize how Japan educates its young girls, but to thank Japan for donating money to the program.

The program has gone to Africa and helped in the parts that need this the most: $1billion donated annually, over 35 million textbooks and teaching materials in a single year, helped Ethiopia achieve 95% enrollment in primary school over the past 15 years, helped educate over 375,000 school aged children in Somalia, and are supporting education programs in 18 African countries.

That dress looks like my mothers kitchen curtains.

Kekahuna - your mother has expensive tastes

@kakafuna: That dress looks like my mothers kitchen curtains.

Can't your mother get a nice curtain? There are a bunch of cheap made in China curtains all over in discount stores. The curtains that this enough that she can handle on windows. Or maybe she should employ interior designers to redo her kitchen, Sorry your mother has to use kinen in kitchen, Maybe you hekp so that her kitchen will not be safe from fire hazard,

Hope Mrs. Abe can tour other countries to promote education of girls in many countries. But skip war zones.

While I applaud the effort here Japan doesn't have this problem, girls graduate all the time here, it's not a problem, there are far more in need countries than Japan. I'm just hoping the money goes to those countries if anything.

Ahh Mrs Abe, from daughter of a confectionery magnate to wife of the PM. What a gilded life she's lived

The gap bet the rich and the poor is widening.

I agree with you and agree that it is not a good thing, yet you proudly support Shinzo Abe and the LDP and Shinzo Abe, the very man and political party, who are at the very least, responsible for the acceleration of income equality in Japan. Ironic, huh?

I made a mistake and I've seen similar comments saying Obama should worry about the US kids and why come here when Japan is ranked 5th in the world in education, she should go to Africa.

LOl. All you would have had to do is read the original article completely/carefully, or maybe even take two seconds and go to Google, to realize that the program had nothing to do with Japan. And please do not blame other posters for your knee-jerk reaction to attack anything associated with Obama. That is really lame.

Instead of going all over the golbe and wasting American's tax dollars how about staying and the using the money for poor children in America. Oh. I get it you couldn't go on your expensive trip's, huh, Michelle

@dcog9065MAR. 19, 2015 - 05:27PM JST Ahh Mrs Abe, from daughter of a confectionery magnate to wife of the PM. What a gilded life she's lived

Wealthy or not, graduating colleges are easy for Japanese girls. Akie could not get a job in her family created company that she became a disc jocky in Shimonoseki ''''''' Next project will be for life after college as Akie will be involved in Mrs Obama's project.

Graduating universities for any japanese is easy. All they really have to do is "show up". The hard part for them is just passing the entrance exam to "get into" the university or college in the first place. Pathetic. & if you come from a family with lots of ¥ you can bribe your son/daughter into "waseda". Ask M. Obama if graduating was easy from Princeton, (or if you dare) lets say . . Harvard Law.

I made a mistake and I've seen similar comments saying Obama should worry about the US kids and why come here when Japan is ranked 5th in the world in education, she should go to Africa.

Michelle Obama didn't come here to bring the Let Girls Learn program to Japan or to criticize how Japan educates its young girls, but to thank Japan for donating money to the program.

It displays true character when you admit your mistakes rather than pretend they didn't happen. This got a thumbs-up from me for the mea culpa.

While I applaud the effort here Japan doesn't have this problem, girls graduate all the time here, it's not a problem, there are far more in need countries than Japan. I'm just hoping the money goes to those countries if anything.

You're making the same mistake Harvey did the other day.

LOl. All you would have had to do is read the original article completely/carefully, or maybe even take two seconds and go to Google, to realize that the program had nothing to do with Japan. And please do not blame other posters for your knee-jerk reaction to attack anything associated with Obama. That is really lame.

..and your comment received a thumbs-DOWN from me for beating a dead horse. The man already admitted his mistake.

@Wc626: Not all Univ in USA are hard to graduate. In some state, fuitions are high. Usually coeds. About bribe Univ, don't you know donations are not handled by entrance examination giving dept? Visit one Univ to check. Also visit Waseda to see what proportion of students are girls. Or Keioh. Even TohDai, Check an outside organization that handle donations and check univ departments in Japan.

Yes, they are hard to graduate. Tuitions are extremely high, but what does that have to do with each student's "individual" effort to master their major? So a large proportion of girls attend Waseda (to be housewives 5 yrs later)? But remenber Michiko was educated @ harvard & oxford. Higher ed is far more acute in the west. I hope M. Obama can reveal that on her visit.

Collecting money-fundraising for girls education! This is a wonderful idea; but, I must mention to the naive Japanese that these money do not necessarily reach to the poor girls who need them. Instead, often the money is used for the orgnanization ad. and the people who work for them. In the end, a drop of the total amount goes to the girls who need. Americans are good at "appeal" to the world. Be smart, do not just trust superficial nice words! Instead, start peeling onion skins to discover what is really underneath! For this purpose, the Japanese government must have the ability to trace how the money will be or was used. Just do not give the money blindedly.

I don't know how Japanese Govt scholarship now but There were scholarships for girls who wanted to study in USA. The condition? Girls signed that they would never marry when they graduated. They chose very difficult Univ like Harvard etc. They returned to Japan and contributed to Japanese scientific field. If you want to know more, Wikipedia should have Dr Kono Yasui article. She was first Japanese female PhD and she never married. She passed away 91 years old. I thougt it is very unpolite to hace such agreement, So Japan had scholarship to girls. Waseda and Keio are private. Gen Mac made Japanese public Univ accept female students. //////the admittance requirement? In our area, one for Economic major. If you passed entrance exam, we had to go interview. You had to walk like a boy and talk loud so that you did not disturb boys. I hinted my sport loving classmate the secret, It was in 1950. Two of them passed and Univ had a headache as it only wanted one girl.. I am not familiar with Japanese govt sholarship now.

YouTube celebrity Michelle Phan joined Mrs Obama in Tokyo to help spread awareness for the Let Girls Learn campaign and field questions to the first lady submitted through Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Really, Michelle Phan got to tag along?

That's ony Tacky Frock,Madame Resident!

@Educator60MAR. 20, 2015 - 03:28PM JST Do people really need to comment on her clothes rather than on the work she's doing? Take it to the fashion magazines.

Don't worry: People who can not distinguish dress and summer short pants suits are writing. They have right to comment their ignorance on attires, too.

Some people are just shallow, and find it hard not to make nonsensical remarks.