As Chapel Hill High School students arrived at Yoshimi Aoyagi’s classroom on Friday, they were greeted by a group of journalists and Japanese aides. A nervous buzz filled the space as everyone awaited a special guest: the spouse of the Japanese Prime Minister, Yuko Kishida.

A Japanese delegation – including the prime minister – visited the United States this week to speak with President Joe Biden, host a summit with Philippine leaders, and tour spots in North Carolina. While Prime Minister Fumio Kishida went to the Toyota and Honda Aircraft factories across the state with Governor Roy Cooper Friday morning, his spouse stopped by Chapel Hill High to honor Aoyagi, a long-time Japanese teacher in the school district.

Aoyagi, who teaches each day at Chapel Hill High and East Chapel Hill High School, has taught with Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools since 2007. In addition to earning statewide recognition, Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs honored Aoyagi in 2022 with a commendation for her teaching accomplishments and efforts to improve Americans’ understanding of its country.

When asked how special it was to have Kishida visit, Aoyagi compared it to the solar eclipse the U.S. saw on Monday – and said it was even more outstanding than that.

“I was told the prime minister never [went] to other states besides Washington D.C.,” said the Japanese teacher. “And coming to this public school… this is amazing – this is [once-in-a] lifetime. I so appreciate everybody [including] the school, teachers, principal.”

When Kishida arrived, the students quickly stood up and bowed with their teacher out of respect as the prime minister’s wife shared greetings and sat at the front of the class. She spoke with high schoolers taking Japanese I, III, IV and AP-level classes with Aoyagi at Chapel Hill High. Most of the 40 minutes was spent with students asking questions of Kishida in Japanese about her experience in Tokyo, advice for Americans visiting Japan, and her favorite foods and leisure activities. They then exchanged gifts, with the students giving her some Chapel Hill Tigers gear and the delegation sharing Japan-themed memo note pads. The First Spouse then took a group photo with Aoyagi, CHCCS Superintendent Nyah Hamlett, school officials and the Aoyagi’s students in the high school’s courtyard.

Yuko Kishida, the wife of Japan’s Prime Minister, stands with Yoshimi Aoyagi, CHCCS district leaders, and Chapel Hill High School students during her visit on Friday.

Kishida shakes hands with Chapel Hill High School students in Aoyagi’s class before she left the school on Friday. Aoyagi stands to her left.

Chapel Hill High School students pose with their Japanese memo pads shared by the visiting delegation.

Aoyagi said she was determined to make Kishida’s visit a learning opportunity for the students and a chance to practice their Japanese. She said she hopes it will inspire them – and others – to keep learning more.

“I can say, language is alive,” said Aoyagi. “They study language and see if they can use it. [Kishida] understood [their questions] – and this is the takeaway for them. I’m hoping this will motivate my students to study Japanese more in the future, and I’m hoping more people start taking Japanese also.”

“She was so wonderful,” the educator said the prime minister’s spouse. “Mrs. Kishida is so kind and so nice, I [was] supposed to not talk to her directly because she’s a higher-ranked person. She didn’t mind – when I talked to her, she answered. And my students too, they shook her hand… I was amazed. She was so wonderful, so sweet.”

Chapel Hill High junior Kyle Agano said he had never imagined meeting such a Japanese leader in his life, but was “extremely grateful” for the chance to on Friday. A student in one of the higher-level Japanese courses, he described Kishida’s visit as “a person from my home country [being] in my other home country” as inspiring to him — and, hopefully, to others.

“I hope that this moment not only encourages people in North Carolina, in our community, in our school,” said Agano, “but also encourages people around the United States and the world to continue keeping this culture alive.”

Following her visit, Kishida traveled to Sarah P. Duke Gardens in Durham and visited the Asiatic Arboretum’s tea house. The Japanese prime minister, his spouse, and the rest of the delegation are slated to return to Japan on Sunday.

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.

 

Related Stories
‹
Unknowns of The New Virus Make Global Quarantines a Struggle
Health authorities are scrambling to halt the spread of a new virus that has killed hundreds in China, restricting visitors from the country and confining thousands on cruise ships for extensive screening after some passengers tested positive. But with important details about the illness and how it spreads still unknown, officials and medical personnel are […]
Biden Wants To Show He’s Focused on Asia-Pacific, While Dealing With Russia-Ukraine and Mideast Wars
President Joe Biden is looking to use a summit of Asia-Pacific leaders to show world leaders the United States is focused on the region.
Lockdowns in Asia as Some Nations See 1st Major Virus Surges
Written by DAVID RISING Several countries around Asia and the Pacific that are experiencing their first major surges of the coronavirus rushed to implement tough restrictions Friday, a year and a half into a pandemic that many initially weathered well. Faced with rapidly rising numbers of infections in recent months, authorities hope the measures can […]
As Markets Implode, US Trading Partners Puzzle Over Whether There’s Room for Negotiations
The impact of U.S. President Donald Trump’s blast of tariff hikes was reverberating across world markets Monday as America’s trading partners puzzled over whether there is room for negotiating better deals.
Sweeping Trump Tariffs Draw Dismay and Calls for Talks From Countries Around the Globe
Sweeping new tariffs announced by U.S. President Donald Trump provoked dismay, threats of countermeasures and urgent calls around the globe.
In the 6-Hour Mayhem of South Korea’s Martial Law, a Woman’s Act of Resistance Was a Defining Moment
As South Korea parliamentarians scrambled to get in the National Assembly building, a woman in a leather coat confronted one of the soldiers.
Seen Abroad as a Leader on Indigenous Rights, New Zealand Enters a Divisive New Era
Māori culture and language has exploded in popularity to become part of daily life in New Zealand. But some use it to cause fraught debate.
Morinaga Set to Expand Orange County Manufacturing Plant, Invest $136 Million in New Facility
After nearly ten years of successful operations in western Orange County, Morinaga will expand its facility for producing HI-CHEW candies.
North Carolina Welcomes a Historic Visitor in Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida
Written by MAKIYA SEMINERA Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida cemented economic links and cultural amity with North Carolina on Friday, following up time in Washington during his official U.S. visit by checking up on benchmark Japanese companies building in the ninth-most populous state and later planning to speak with students. In between, Kishida lunched at […]
Japan Prime Minister's Spouse Visits Chapel Hill High School Class During NC Tour
The spouse of the Japanese Prime Minister visited Chapel Hill High School on Friday and spoke to students learning the Japanese language.
›