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The Japan Foundation Prizes for Global Citizenship (2009)
The Japan Foundation (President: Kazuo OGOURA) announced three
recipients of the Japan Foundation Prizes for Global Citizenship for 2009.
Each recipient will receive an award certificate and cash prize of two million
yen.
Recipients
- NPO Jinenjo Club (Tsukuba, Ibaraki; Yukiko YANASE [Representative], Takashi YANASE [Director])
- NPO Hamamatsu NPO Network Center (Hamamatsu, Shizuoka; Mitsue INOUE [President])
- NPO Green Valley Inc (Kamiyama, Tokushima; Shinya OMINAMI [Chairman])
Overview of “The Japan Foundation Prizes for Global Citizenship”
This prize was established under the name of “the Prizes for the Promotion
of Community-Based Cultural Exchange” in 1985, at the time the importance
of community-based international exchange became widely acknowledged. In FY
2004-2005, in commemoration of its 20th anniversary, the award was renamed “The
Japan Foundation Prizes for Global Citizenship” in awareness of development
and diversification of community-based international exchange activities. The
Japan Foundation has been presenting the prizes to organizations and individuals
who have been contributing to promotion of international exchange between communities,
cultural exchange, or mutual understanding that results in change or revitalization
of communities. (In principle, three prizes are presented every year.)
This year, 82 recommendations were offered from the mass media, think tank, international
exchange organizations, and local governments. The recipients of the prizes were
determined by the selection committee through a careful selection process.
The selection committee consisted of the following six members (in the order of the Japanese syllabary):
Mr. Yoshitaka ISHII
(President, NPO Kourokan-Fukuoka Castle History & Tourism Citizen’s Association; former Chairman of the Board of Kyushu Railway Company)
(General Manager, Tokyo Office, the Hokkaido Shimbun Press)
Ms. Yasuko OGIWARA
(Program Director, Association for Corporate Support of the Arts)
(Professor and Director of Center for Multilingual Multicultural Education and Research, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies)
(Senior Manager, Global Human Resources Office, DENTSU Inc.)
Mr. Noriyuki WAKISAKA
(Editorial Writer, the Asahi Shimbun)
Recipients for 2009
*Click the image to enlarge| Representative | Yukiko YANASE(Representative) Takashi YANASE(Director) |
| Established | 1990 |
| Web site |
＜Activity Outline＞
Jinenjo Club forms a community including
members with intellectual disabilities and works on ecological farming, while
engaging in exchange activities with people with intellectual disabilities
in North Europe and Asian countries. They started activities in 1990, and
in 1996 their first overseas performance was held at “The International
Drama Festival for the Intellectual Disabilities” in Lithuania. The
project “Different Artists in Residence” started in 2004 by inviting
artists with disabilities from overseas. The club has performed their original “Dengaku
Mai” (based on a Japanese traditional dance) at drama festivals in
some European countries and Hong Kong. In Japan, they performed the Dengaku
Mai at “BEAT ASIA” in “Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial 2009.” Their
performances enrich their cross-cultural activities.
* Jinenjo Club is the fourth organization to be awarded with the prize in Ibaraki,
first in four years.
*Click the image to enlarge| Representative | Mitsue Inoue (President) |
| Established | 1998 |
| Web site | http://www.n-pocket.jp/ |
＜Activity Outline＞
Hamamatsu City has one of the largest
populations of foreign residents in Japan; over 30,000 residents, consisting
almost 4% of total population. Hamamatsu NPO Network Center (N-Pocket)
started their Multicultural Society Project in 1998 with the aim of becoming
an intermediary among a variety of organizations and people, with three
core fields of activity: education, medical aid, and art. To encourage
exchange and mutual understanding among people, N-Pocket uses an approach
of “community art,” such as organizing a street performance
festival, drawing big mural paintings, and producing films. The arts can
deliver the essence of issues in enjoyable and emotional ways. Young participants
who shared experiences in these activities can communicate and express
themselves through the arts beyond the languages.
*Hamamatsu NPO Network Center is the first organization from Shizuoka to
be awarded with the prize.
*Click the image to enlarge＜Activity Outline＞
Green Valley Inc has been striving to
find ways for depopulated regions to survive by revitalizing the regions
with arts and culture with global perspectives. They are engaged in a variety
of activities including the Kamiyama Artist in Residence (KAIR) Program
to invite artists from overseas, support for mid-and long-term visitors,
Aioi Forestry Management project, and restoration of Theater Yorii-za.
They coined the term “creative depopulation,” regarding the
decrease of population as a positive opportunity to encourage migration
of people with skills and experiences that can benefit the local community.
The motto of Green Valley is “Just Do It!” They find ways
to put good ideas into practice immediately instead of making excuses.
This “just-do-it” attitude is their asset in cross-cultural
activities.