Co-creating Cultures for the Future Week
The Power of JICA volunteers
-Change the World, Change Japan-
The Second session：Creation of a Multicultural and Inclusive Society
Japan International Cooperation Agency
Over the past 60 years, more than 56,000 Japanese have been dispatched to 99 developing countries to work as Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteer(JICA Volunteers) for two years. After returning to Japan, many EX-volunteers contribute to solving social and global issues in Japan. Today we have two sessions with EX-volunteers, experts and local goverments to explore what can do to revitalize local communities and realize a multicultural and inclusive society.
Recorded video available
Discussion
- Local community revitalisation
- Multicultural coexistence
| Transmission of simultaneous interpretation | Provided |
|---|---|
| Language of interpretation | Japanese and English |
-
Agenda2025
Participation Programme
- Time and
Date of
the event -
-
2025.04.25[Fri]
14:00 ～ 16:00
(Venue Open 13:30)
-
- Venue
- Theme Weeks Studio
Programme details
＊*Subtitles: Choose “Subtitles/CC” in the “Settings” (gear icon) at the bottom right of the YouTube video.
*Subtitles may not show with multiple languages or overlapping audio.
Number of the migrant workers in Japan has increased year by year to more than 2 million people in 2023. It is becoming necessary to create a multicultural and inclusive society where people from various countries and Japanese people can work and live together. Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), an incorporated administrative agency in charge of implementing ODA, is supporting socioeconomic development in developing countries in different regions of the world. JICA Volunteers program will celebrate its 60th Anniversary in 2025, and more than 56,000 JICA volunteers have been dispatched to date and worked with local people to solve problems in their communities in 99 countries and regions. It is precisely because they have spent two years in developing countries as minority foreigners that they can contribute to the creation of a multicultural and inclusive society in Japan.
Through two sessions of panel talks, we will discuss how JICA Volunteers have contributed to the internationalization of the local communities in Japan after their return to their home region, and what role Ex-Volunteers can play in building a multicultural society.
The First session (from 10:30 to 12:00 tentative): Promoting Regional Internationalization
The Second session (fromt14:00 to 15:30 tentative): Creation of a Multicultural and Inclusive Society
Reports
【Reflection】
In the first session, we discussed "Promoting Regional Internationalization," and in the second session, we focused on "Creation of a Multicultural and Inclusive Society."
Based on the activity examples shared by each speaker, we explored changes in trends related to regional revitalization and multicultural coexistence in Japanese society, and expectations for society and Returned Volunteers in the future.
For more details, please watch the archived videos.
Session 1: https://theme-weeks.expo2025.or.jp/program/detail/6719fe0f39de7.html
Session 2: https://theme-weeks.expo2025.or.jp/program/detail/6736fa4998e80.html
【Post EXPO Initiatives】
This year marks the 60th anniversary of JICA Volunteer Program. One of the main objectives of our program is the "social return of volunteer experience." As highlighted in the first and second sessions of this program, the experiences of Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers living as minorities overseas and their efforts to build trust within communities are being utilized in addressing both domestic and international issues. Many Returned Volunteers continue to make significant contributions across various regions.
As social issues diversify both domestically and internationally, the importance of "social return of volunteer experience" is increasing. In recent years, new initiatives have been launched in collaboration with local governments and related organizations. These include the "GLOCAL Program," which offers opportunities for Trainees to participate in regional revitalization and multicultural coexistence efforts as on-the-job training before their overseas dispatch, and the "JICA Social Entrepreneur Project BLUE," which supports Returned Volunteers aiming to solve social issues through entrepreneurship.
Cast
Moderator
Mr. Takuya Otsuka
Director General of the Secretariat of Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
He joined JICA after conducting graduate research on remote islanders in Papua New Guinea. After joining the Agency, he was stationed overseas in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan, and served as head of the Human Resources Planning Division in the Human Resources Department, head of the General Planning Division in the Planning Department, and head of the Chairman's Office. In March 2025, he was appointed Director General of the Secretariat of Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers.
View Profile
Close
close
Speakers
Ms. Sahel Rosa
Actress, EXCELLING inc.
Born in Iran, she spent the first seven years of her life in an orphanage before moving to Japan at the age of eight. After playing the lead role in “The Respectful Prostitute”, she won the Best Actress Award at the Milan International Film Festival for her performance in “Cold Floor”. Her directorial debut film, “Hanataba”, was released in 2024. Furthermore, she is actively involved in personal philanthropic work and was awarded the Humanitarian Award in the U.S. in 2020.
View Profile
Close
close
Mr. Toru Taya
Representative Director, Noen Taya Farm
M.A. (Rural Sociology), Institut Pertanian Bogor University (IPB), Indonesia. He participated in JICA Volunteer program and he was dispatched to Indonesia in 1997. After returning to Japan, he started farming in Fukui Prefecture in 2006 and has been accepting Indonesian technical intern trainees since 2008. For more than 15 years, he has been implementing initiatives to simultaneously realize the growth of Indonesian youth and secure workers for local agriculture, and his efforts have become a model for others to follow. Received the 8th JICA President Award.
View Profile
Close
close
Ms. Nii Midori
NPO Citizen’s Network for Global Activities (CINGA)
At NPO “CINGA (Citizen’s Networks for Global Activities)” a professional group specialized in multilingualism and multiculturalism, she organized community-based Japanese Language classes and delivers counseling for foreign residents, works as a community interpreter, and conducts research and coordinates projects in the areas of “YASASHII Japanese (easy Japanese) ”. After working at the Center for Multilingual Multicultural Education and Research, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, she has been in her current position since 2011.
View Profile
Close
close
More Information
Co-creating Cultures for the Future Week
The Power of JICA volunteers
-Change the World, Change Japan-
The Second session：Creation of a Multicultural and Inclusive Society
Over the past 60 years, more than 56,000 Japanese have been dispatched to 99 developing countries to work as Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteer(JICA Volunteers) for two years. After returning to Japan, many EX-volunteers contribute to solving social and global issues in Japan. Today we have two sessions with EX-volunteers, experts and local goverments to explore what can do to revitalize local communities and realize a multicultural and inclusive society.
-
2025.04.25[Fri]
14:00～16:00
(Venue Open 13:30)
- Theme Weeks Studio
- * Programme times and content are subject to change. Any changes will be announced on this website and via the ticket booking system.
- * The schedule is subject to change depending on the organiser's circumstances.
OTHER PROGRAM
Co-creating Cultures for the Future Week
