On March 4, the “Certificate of Appreciation Ceremony for the Minister of Foreign Affairs” was held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan at the International Conference Hall of the Ichigaya Headquarters. In addition to the 89 JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteers who had completed two years of activities in the countries where they were dispatched, the ceremony was attended by Diet members and executives of related organizations that support the cooperation corps as guests of honor.
Expectations of the Cooperation Team
In his speech, Mr. Hidenori Kusakabe, Deputy Director-General of the International Cooperation Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, noted that more than 57,000 members of the JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (Note 1), which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, have lived together with local people around the world and contributed to local economy and society. He also expressed his hope that the participants would use their valuable experience of overcoming difficulties in cultures and customs different from those of Japan to play an active role in various fields. Mr. Kusakabe, Deputy Director-General of the International Cooperation Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, delivers his remarks at the ceremony.
I felt happy when I saw the joy of the local people.
Mr. Mori making a representative speech On behalf of the returning members, Mr. Daisei Mori (from Fukuoka Prefecture), who served as a member of the baseball team in Brazil, made a speech. Mr. Mori said, “I was motivated by the local Japanese-American people’s strong desire to pass on Japanese culture to the next generation and to the youth baseball team. The joy I felt when I saw the team win a game made me very happy.” I was so happy when I saw the joy of the people when the team won the game,” he said. He also mentioned that he was involved in the Glocal Program in Tamahigashi Town, Kumamoto Prefecture, before his deployment to Japan, where he supported the project to accept Ukrainian refugees, and that his experience of working with local people and ex-Cooperation Volunteers was beneficial during his deployment. He concluded his speech with words of gratitude to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, JICA officials, his fellow participants, and his family for their support.
Building Trust Locally is a Major Pillar of Japanese Development Cooperation
The award ceremony and reception were attended by Diet members of the “Diet Members’ Caucus for Supporting Japan’s International Cooperation, Especially JOCV Activities” (JICA Diet Members’ Caucus) and Wakako Yuki, Director of the Association to Support JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteers, which has long supported JOCV from a private-sector standpoint.
Mr. Kiyoshi Ejima, a member of the House of Councilors and secretary of the JICA Parliamentary Caucus, opened the discussion by saying, “The accumulation of trust that has been cultivated through thinking and sweating together with local people is a major pillar of Japan’s development cooperation. Your experience of successes and failures amidst various constraints is a valuable asset.” He also expressed his hope that the participants would make the most of their experience and work hard in the future. Mr. Ejima listens to the experiences of the team members at the round-table discussion.
(Note 1) A total of 57,442 JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteers have been dispatched to 99 countries to date, and 1,774 are currently still deployed in 74 countries (as of February 28, 2025). The returning members who participated in this award ceremony were 89 people (from 38 countries) who requested to participate out of 132 people who returned from 47 countries between January and March 3, 2025.
Guests】 【Visitors
*in alphabetical order
Kiyoshi Ejima, Member of the House of Councilors; Emi Kaneko, Member of the House of Representatives; Shinpei Matsushita, Member of the House of Councilors; Shinsuke Miura, Member of the House of Councilors; Yohei Wakabayashi, Member of the House of Councilors
Wakako Yuki, Director, General Incorporated Association for Cooperative Development
© Source JICA
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