Hello, Ms. Aoba. I' m enjoying your program, ‘Isn' t the opening marvelous?' At high school, I played in the go club, but, after 20 years, my interest has revived and I' ve started again. By the way, in recent years, Japanese go has been unable to match Korean and Chinese go, which makes me very sad. What is the basic difference between Korean and Chinese and Japanese go? How can the Japanese win? I hope that a bright future is waiting for Japanese go. Consultation Two : Mr. Yamada Hello, Mr. Yamada. After two decades away, welcome back! Well, that' s a difficult question. For a long time, Japanese go was at the top level in the world. The reason for that was that the Edo government supported go during the Edo period (1603-1868). They created an environment in which top players could devote themselves to go, and throughout its long history Japanese go was not concerned just with winning and losing but also emphasized art and beauty. However, some 20 years ago, Korea came to the fore and swept the international tournaments. Korean go at this time was distinguished by accurate and pragmatic reading (without worrying about beautiful shape); it was tenacious and precise in the endgame. Something that often happened was that Japanese players, who were good at shape, would gain an edge in the middle game (which, until then, according to the Japanese approach, would have been enough to secure a win), but then the Koreans, whose research in the late middle game and endgame was more advanced, would stage upsets. Later, the popularization of the Internet led to a dramatic change in the top level of world go. Previously, go was a game in which the players staked out positions, fought and found harmony, shared up the territory, and then counted. But now, in international games, fierce fighting starts as soon as the game starts  the game has speeded up. Difficult reading contests continue right throughout the game; if there is a chink in one side' s armour, the issue is immediately decided. Go has become very rigorous. This change has occurred mainly among Korean and Chinese players, and Japan has fallen behind in coping with it. That' s how I view the current position. Finally, how can we win? I think there are probably various methods, but, after all, we have to be hungrier than the Korean and Chinese players. Perhaps this is the answer.