The 63rd Annual Nikkei Abroad Conference was held at the JICA Ogata Institute from Monday, October 16 to Wednesday, October 18, 2023 (hosted by the Association of Nikkei & Japanese Abroad, supported by JICA and others). This year’s theme was “Toward a Leap Forward for Nikkei Society: New Generation Initiative Expected. In order for Nikkei society to make a further leap forward, “Nikkei Society” is expressed in katakana instead of Chinese characters as “Nikkei Society” in order to expand the opportunities for both Nikkei and non-Nikkei to play an active role as members of the same community.
Her Imperial Highness Princess Akishino attended the opening ceremony on the first day, and 181 participants from 17 countries attended at the venue and 333 participated online, celebrating the first face-to-face event in Japan in four years.
JICA President Tanaka delivered a keynote speech titled “Sustainable ‘Co-Creation Society’ through New Links between Japan and Nikkei Communities”. In his speech, he spoke about the possibility of reaffirming the values of the Japanese and Nikkei communities and passing them on to the next generation, as well as promoting new initiatives by the next generation of Nikkei, and contributing to multicultural conviviality as a bridge between Japan and the destination country, and about the need to foster the next generation and create diverse and multilayered connections among Nikkei and non-Nikkei alike to realize a sustainable Nikkei society. He also spoke of the importance of creating a “co-creation society” in which diverse human resources can combine their knowledge and resources to create new value together through friendly competition.
And the declaration of this convention included the idea that Nikkei society is a model of “Kyousei and Co-creation.
On the afternoon of Wednesday, October 18, a Nikkei Youth Exchange Meeting was held at JICA Headquarters for invitees and international students invited by JICA, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Nippon Foundation. The 76 participants, who had just finished attending the Nikkei Abroad Convention, gathered for a lively group discussion on the sustainable Nikkei community and the roles expected of the next generation. Some groups discussed issues such as children’s education, mental health, and the aging of the Japanese population, while others focused on manga, anime, calligraphy, kimono dressing, and other aspects of Japanese culture to enhance the Nikkei community, and the use of social networking services to create active relationships among Nikkei and non-Nikkei alike. The discussion topics ranged from manga, anime, calligraphy, kimono, and other forms of Japanese cultural exchange to enhance the Japanese American community.
The Japanese American youths, who had a lively multilingual discussion in Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese, and English, expressed their expectations for promoting exchanges among international students and trainees who come to Japan for various programs, saying, “We hope you will continue to provide opportunities like this in the future.
In addition, an exchange session was held to connect international students under the JICA Japanese American Community Leadership Development Project (see note) with JICA staff in charge of projects in their field of expertise, so that they could share their knowledge of JICA’s field issues with the Japanese American students.
(Note) JICA Japanese American Community Leadership Development Project
JICA’s graduate school study support program for people of Japanese descent. 241 students from 11 Latin American countries have visited Japan since 2000, and 30 students from 6 countries (Argentina, Colombia, Paraguay, Brazil, Peru, and Bolivia) are currently studying at the time of this competition.
Keynote speech by JICA President Tanaka also available online
Lecture on Next Generation Development Training for the Japanese American Community
Japanese American Youth Exchange Program (JICA Headquarters)
Japanese-Brazilian student of the JICA Japanese American Society Leader Development Project (Graduate School of the University of the Ryukyus)
Architecture, civil engineering, and science groups engaged in a lively exchange of ideas
© Source JICA
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