From the metropolitan area of the United States capital， Washington. D.C.， a delegation from George Mason University visited the Min-On Culture Center， holding a discussion on the importance of cultural exchange.

On June 27， George Mason University Provost Peter Stearns， together with Dean William Reeder of the College of Visual and Performing Arts and Professor Andrea Bartoli， director of the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution， for the first time visited the Min-On Concert Association in Tokyo. George Mason University， located in Northern Virginia， minutes away from Washington， D.C.， was founded as a branch of the University of Virginia in 1957， and became an independent public institution in 1972. Today， the university is recognized as an innovative， entrepreneurial institution with national distinction in a range of academic fields and unique programs of performing arts. It has become the largest university in the state of Virginia， enrolling more than 32，500 students.

At the beginning of the meeting， Min-On President Hiroyasu Kobayashi conveyed a welcome message from Min-On founder， Dr. Daisaku Ikeda. President Kobayashi explained about Min-On’s founding principles and history， as well as his own experiences of working with Min-On’s cultural exchange activities for more than forty years. In response to the explanation， Provost Stearns remarked that he is deeply impressed with the founding ideals initiated by Dr. Ikeda. In addition， Provost Stearns stated that he admires the fact that Min-On has been practicing those principles for the last forty some years and has set an important precedent for a worldwide movement of cultural exchange to develop mutual understanding and respect among people around the world. He concluded by saying that taking Min-On as a great example， he wishes to cooperate with Dr. Ikeda’s visions and implement them at George Mason University.

During their discussions on the importance of cultural exchange， Dean Reeder introduced a unique project at the College of Visual and Performing Arts， titled “The Arts at Mason Partnership，” which enables the university’s students， professional artists and artist teachers at large， and local community participants to interact across a wide rage of artistic， educational and cultural exchanges. He explained that the university has invested in the arts programs during the past twenty years based on an initiative by Provost Stearns， and with the genuine support of local communities and professional artists. This initiative has created superb venues for the performing arts on the university campus， such as the Center for the Arts， the Performing Arts Building， etc.， that have become an integral component for those in the campus community to mutually enrich and enhance their experience of attending performances of artistic excellence.

While touring the Music Museum and Library， guests from George Mason University enjoyed performances of antique harpsichords and classic pianos as well as antique automatic instruments. They expressed deep interest in the contribution of the Music Library as a resource center for enhancing Japanese music society. Afterward， Professor Bartoli commented that visiting Min-On has reminded him how important musical culture is for helping people better understand one another and for developing dignity as human beings.