The Association of Nikkei & Japanese Abroad runs the Nikkeis at home and abroad in order to support the various activities.
Friendship Exchange For Nikkeis
The Convention of Nikkei & Japanese Abroad
The annual Convention provides a valuable opportunity for Nikkei Japanese living abroad to gather together in the mother country and discuss life outside Japan, while encouraging international exchange, understanding and friendship across national borders and therefore promoting a better understanding of Japan in the international community.
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International Nikkei Network
June 18th is the “day of overseas emigration,” which was designated by the Prime Minister’s Office (now the Cabinet Office) in 1966. It commemorates the day in 1908 when the first ship of Japanese emigrants to Brazil, the Kasato Maru, arrived at the Port of Santos.
June 20th is International Day of Nikkei. It commemorates the day when the first large-scale group of Japanese immigrants, the “Gannenmono,” arrived in Hawaii. It was designated at the 59th Convention of Nikkei & Japanese Abroad held in Hawaii in 2018.
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Support for “the Overseas Japanese Press Association(OJPA)”
The Association of Nikkei & Japanese Abroad serves as the secretariat of the Overseas Japanese Press Association, which consists of representatives from overseas Japanese-language newspapers and broadcast media. The Overseas Japanese Press Association members promote collaboration, share the situations in each nation, and exchange ideas to foster a greater understanding of Japan. In addition, the Cabinet Office’s public relations office conducts exclusive government public relations activities for the association’s members.
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Inspection Trip for JICA Volunteers Families
Japanese Emigrants to Brazil Homecoming Delegation Visits
This is a project to invite emigrants who have not had the opportunity to visit Japan for more than 50 years after moving to Brazil.
Since 2018, the project has been expanded to include the descendants of emigrants. The project is being implemented as the “Brazil-Japan Kakehashi Exchange Project,” inviting the younger generation to Japan.
Acceptance of Trainees and Scholarship Program
Acceptance of Trainees and Scholarship Program
The Association of Japanese & Nikkei Abroad accepts trainees for the Nikkei community as well as international students invited by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for training in specialized fields. The Association provides training for trainees for the Nikkei community after proposing to JICA on training contents such as heritage education for Nikkeis, revitalization of Nikkei organizations through food, development of coordinators for Japanese cultural activities, and sustainable management of Nikkei organizations.
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In addition, the Association accepts scholarship students for the JICA Program for Developing Leaders in Nikkei Communities.
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Introduction of Nikkei community training and support for implementation
- The Association provides information on daily life in Japan and introduces Japanese culture to Nikkei trainees accepted by JICA. In addition, the Association performs supporting tasks related to acceptance and selection.
- The Association provides Japanese language courses to Nikkei trainees accepted by JICA to strengthen their understanding of the language. The Association also prepares placement tests for Nikkei trainees to take, and the test results are used for their Japanese language classes.
Nikkei Scholarship
This program supports young Nikkeis who want to study in Japan and have specific dreams of playing an active role in their country of residence in the future. Scholarships are provided for up to five years. The Association also supports international student associations and alumni associations.
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Education Program for Nikkei Next Generation (Program for Junior High School Students)
This program welcomes Nikkei students aged between 12 and 15 years old that are studying at Japanese schools in North, Central, and South America with a goal of fostering human resources that can play an active role in Nikkei communities and connect Japan and Latin America through the inheritance of Japanese culture and the enhancement of their identity as a Nikkei.
Support for Nikkeis and Immigrants
JICA Volunteers for Overseas Japanese Communities
JICA dispatches experienced human resources with a volunteer spirit in fields such as Japanese language education and social welfare to Nikkei communities in Latin America to support systems for human resource development and practical work implementation. The Association takes part in this project by providing issue-specific lectures on Nikkei communities during pre-dispatch training.
CIATE (Japan-Brazil Center of Information and Support for Foreign Workers)
The CIATE is an organization that provides information and consultation services for Nikkeis living in Brazil who are thinking of working in Japan. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has commissioned the Association to dispatch specialized staff to this center in Brazil.
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Information on Nikkeis Living in Japan
Service of Consultant and Information
An information call center has been set up to provide general life advice to the 250,000 Nikkei workers and their families in Japan (open weekday afternoons, telephone consultations in Portuguese and Spanish).
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Supporters of Fourth-Generation Foreign Nationals of Japanese Descent
In July 2018, a system to increase the acceptance of fourth-generation Nikkeis was launched.
This system aims to facilitate fourth-generation Nikkeis to deepen their understanding and interest in Japan through activities to learn about Japanese culture while receiving assistance from those who support the acceptance of fourth-generation Nikkeis and serve as a bridge between Japan and their local Nikkei communities.
The Association facilitates communication (matching) between fourth-generation Nikkeis and those who support their acceptance.
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Life Counselor Seminars for Nikkeis in Japan
The Association holds seminars for local-government or community counselors who support Nikkei workers. In light of the ever-changing environment of Nikkei workers due to social and economic conditions, the seminars provide timely themes every year.
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Japanese Language Education
Japanese Heritage Language Center
Japanese language education conducted in Nikkei communities in Latin America and other regions is not just about teaching Japanese as a foreign language. It also aims to pass on not only the language, but also the Japanese culture, which is the basis of the language, as part of the education for children with the intention of forming the identity of Nikkei children.
Furthermore, interest in the Japanese language and culture is growing in various countries, and the use of Japanese language education as a means of dissemination has become a challenge.
The center positions Japanese language education for these Nikkei children as Japanese heritage language education, and conducts activities to pass on and disseminate the Japanese language.
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Administration
Japanese Overseas Migration Museum
The Japanese Overseas Migration Museum, which is located within JICA Yokohama, not only educates about the history of Japanese migration to North, Central, and South America, including Hawaii, but also educates about the spread of the Nikkei communities around the world, the stories of Japanese and other Nikkeis playing active roles abroad, and their connections with Japan. The Association is in charge of research and curatorial affairs, including special exhibitions.
Learn more(to JICA website)
Survey Research for Nikkeis
The Association of Japanese & Nikkei Abroad conducts research on various issues related to migration and Nikkeis. Commissioned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Association has conducted a fact-finding survey on the education of children of Nikkei workers, as well as a needs survey ahead of the creation of Japanese textbooks for Spanish-speaking children, and has prepared and distributed textbooks for a fee.