United States First Lady Michelle Obama met with her Japanese counterpart Akie Abe in Japan on Thursday to promote education for girls.

The two first ladies met at the Iikura Guest House in Tokyo and she is set to visit Cambodia as well. According to reports, Obama wanted to collaborate with Japan in helping girls finish their education since other people in wealthy countries tend to take such privilege for granted.

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Japan is one of the richest and at the same time poorest countries. Mrs. Obama shared that a lot of women are able to achieve their professional and personal goals because of education and that is why she wants to promote education as the starting point for every opportunity in people's lives.

She shared in her speech that around 62 million girls do not attend school and such figure is a waste of human potential.

Officials from the Japan announced that they will be cooperating with a group called "Let Girls Learn," a group that was initiated by the Obama couple. There will be over US$340 million in donation from the U.S. to support girls for three years.

The two countries also sealed a deal involving development assistance to help girls with their education. Volunteers from the Japan Overseas Cooperation group will be working with the Peace Corps to make sure that the "Let Girls Learn" program runs smoothly.

Mrs. Abe also shared her thoughts about the project, saying a lot of children cannot even do such mundane things such as chatting with a friend, commuting to school, and believing in possibilities. These instances are harsh realities in their country, she said.

Aside from Japan, other countries that will roll out similar programs are Albania, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Georgia, Ghana, Moldova, Mongolia, Mozambique, Togo and Uganda.

TagsMichelle Obama, education, girls, Let Girls Learn, Japan visit, Akie ABe