President Vo Van Thuong, who is visiting Japan on an official visit from Vietnam, came to Japan in the past under the JICA Invitation Program for Youth (now Youth Exchange Program*) and participated in Japanese language and understanding of Japan training and youth exchange programs, including a home stay experience in Miyazaki Prefecture. The JICA Youth Invitation Program was conducted for six ASEAN countries based on then Prime Minister Nakasone’s “Friendship Plan for the 21st Century,” and President Truong is a graduate of the program.
On the occasion of his visit to Japan, President Truong invited his family, with whom he had a homestay 26 years ago, to a breakfast meeting at the Guest House in Akasaka on the morning of November 29. The host families were Junsei and Yuko Nagai, who had been host families under the JICA Youth Invitation Program in 1997. This time, due to the strong desire of President Truong, a search for host families began before his arrival in Japan, leading to a reunion after 26 years.
The project provides basic training for young people in developing countries to understand Japan’s experience and technology in fields needed in each country, and cooperates in the development of human resources who will play important roles in future nation-building.
President Truong and his wife and Mr. and Mrs. Nagai
Homestay and Training Programs that Fostered Bridges of Friendship
At the breakfast meeting, President Truong noted that many of the senior officials who hold important positions in the current Vietnamese government are participants in the JICA Youth Invitation Program, and joked that having a homestay experience in Japan is a prerequisite for promotion in the Vietnamese government. President Truong and others who have visited Japan for training and other purposes are actively encouraging young people around them and their children to participate in international exchange. Whether it is a “condition for success in life” or not, it was an unforgettable experience for the President to learn about Japanese culture as well as to develop knowledge and awareness that will contribute to solving development issues through this program.
According to Mr. and Mrs. Nagai, the homestay gave Mr. Truong an experience of “very normal daily life” at that time. I believe that experiencing daily life in Japan at such a young age, where they sat around the table with their family, had BBQs, and taught each other songs, gave them a chance to learn about Japanese life and sensitivities.
The program has played a role in fostering true Japanophiles who know “Japan” and not just its culture and traditions. The graduates of the program, who have become leaders of their countries as intellectuals and pro-Japanese, continue to play an active role around the world as bridges of friendship between Japan and other countries.
The Youth Training Program, which has now been changed to a training-centered program, still contributes to the development of human resources who will be central to future nation-building in their respective countries.
People-to-People Interaction
After the breakfast meeting, Mr. and Mrs. Nagai reflected on their impression of President Truong, whom they had not seen in 26 years. When they were contacted about the breakfast meeting this time, they were so surprised that they looked up news and photos of President Truong on the Internet. Before the meeting, they were worried about what to talk about, but when they actually met the President again and saw his concern for the couple and their family, they felt the same gentle atmosphere as back then. Even after a long period of time and a change in their positions, there was a connection there that has not changed.
The fact that relationships were thus created that still allow people to connect with each other, even if it was 26 years ago, speaks to the importance of human interaction.
JICA has cooperated with Vietnam on a number of infrastructure projects, and in implementing these projects, there has always been interaction among the various stakeholders involved in the infrastructure projects, and these connections have contributed to the success of the projects and have subsequently been a great asset to the country’s growth. In addition, through training programs such as this Youth Invitation Program, we have also emphasized cooperation through “people”, such as exchanges that bring the hearts of the people of both countries into contact with each other. For example, many Japanese Overseas Cooperation Volunteers are dispatched to Vietnam every year, and it is hoped that they will serve as a starting point for exchange. In addition, we have been conducting strategic executive training programs in Japan for Vietnamese executives, including young Vietnamese civil servants, in order to nurture the next generation of Vietnamese leaders. JICA will continue to contribute to further deepening the ties between the two countries through such exchanges of human resources.
Mr. and Mrs. Atsuo and Mrs. Hiroko Nagai with their original photo album
A New Breeze for Local Communities
The Youth Invitation Program led to further efforts by the host families to connect the local community with the rest of the world, as well as the participants who came to Japan. Yuko, who accepted the homestay, later participated in JICA’s technical cooperation project “B-JET” (Bangladesh-Japan ICT Engineers’ Training Program) as a Miyazaki City official. This initiative is a training program to promote Bangladeshi ICT personnel to find employment in Japan. This project has been successfully implemented as a “Miyazaki-Bangladesh Model” by promoting the acceptance of Bangladeshi ICT personnel in Miyazaki Prefecture through industry-government-academia collaboration (Miyazaki City, Miyazaki IT industry, and Miyazaki University).
Currently, Yuko is a member of an organization in charge of training municipal employees, and is involved in promoting overseas training programs, as well as educating municipal employees on the importance of overseas training. 26 years ago, she accepted a homestay, which helped her to realize the importance of international exchange and sending people overseas.
Junsei currently serves as the director of a cultural facility that conveys ancient Japanese culture, and he hopes to contribute to the development of international human resources from an educational perspective, hoping that people who know about Japanese culture will spread overseas.
Although the Youth Invitation Program at that time took a different form as the Youth Training Program, training programs are still being conducted in various regions throughout Japan, mainly at JICA’s various domestic bases. In addition to the youth training, various other training programs are also implemented based on the foundation of relationships with local communities and businesses. These efforts are strengthening the connection between local communities and developing countries, and bringing a new wind that has never existed before to various parts of Japan. It is hoped that JICA programs will also serve as a catalyst for cities, towns, and companies to connect with overseas countries and create a further flow of exchanges.
This visit to Japan by President Truong, a 26-year-old Vietnamese youth who literally returned to Japan as a central figure in nation-building, was a wonderful example of the blossoming of the objectives of JICA’s human resource development programs. We will continue to promote training programs and two-way human resource exchange programs that can have a positive impact on both the partner country and Japan.
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