What is the “Small Kindness” Movement?

“I want all of you to be brave in practicing ‘small kindness,’ thereby creating a wave of kindness that will someday wash over all of Japanese society.” These words were spoken in March 1963 by Seiji Kaya, then President of the University of Tokyo, in his farewell address to students on graduation day. His speech, reported in newspapers and on TV, marked the start of the Small Kindness Movement.