Message from the President

FY2023 marked a year of rapid recovery in cross-border travel, including inbound tourism to Japan, following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Throughout FY2023, the Japan Foundation (JF) continued to operate globally through its 26 overseas offices in 25 countries, developing programs in three fields: Culture (Arts and Cultural Exchange), Language (Japanese-Language Education), and Dialogue (Japanese Studies and Global Partnerships).

In the field of Culture, JF celebrated the 50th anniversary of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation with various commemorative events and exchange programs. These included MIKAGE PROJECT folk song concerts in Thailand and Malaysia, and performances by singer-songwriter and anime song vocalist ITO Kashitaro in the Philippines and Vietnam, all of which received enthusiastic responses across ASEAN countries.
We also organized Japanese film screenings worldwide, creating opportunities for interaction between fans and film industry professionals. For instance, coinciding with the release of SHINKAI Makoto’s latest film, Suzume, in India, we hosted a premiere screening attended by the director himself and AMASHIMA Denki, who created the manga adaptation.

In the field of Language, the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) reached a record high of approximately 1.48 million applicants in 269 cities across all 47 prefectures in Japan and 91 countries and regions. The Japan Foundation Test for Basic Japanese (JFT-Basic), used to measure Japanese language proficiency required for the Specified Skilled Worker (i) residence status, surpassed 100,000 test-takers.
We are responding to the growing and diversifying needs for Japanese-language learning through an effective combination of initiatives, including support for overseas Japanese language institutions, training programs for teachers and specialists, and the development and provision of learning materials and e-learning courses. At the same time, we are also keeping in mind various developments related to the increasing foreign workforce in Japan.

In the field of Dialogue, we co-organized the symposium “after murakami: Japanese Literature in the World Today” with Waseda University. The symposium, which garnered significant attention in and outside Japan, brought together writers and artists from Japan and abroad to discuss the internationalization of contemporary Japanese literature through the lens of MURAKAMI Haruki’s works.
Additionally, to mark the 50th anniversary of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation, we held the ASEAN-Japan Youth Forum “Take Actions for Social Change (TASC) 2023.” In this forum, university students from Japan and ASEAN worked together to explore solutions for shared social challenges. Through cooperative experiences, including field trips, the forum aimed to foster trust among young people and nurture the next generation of leaders.

In FY2024, we will fully launch the “Partnership to Co-create a Future with the Next Generation: WA Project 2.0,” a comprehensive people-to-people exchange initiative between Japan and ASEAN announced at the Commemorative Summit for the 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation in December 2023. Guided by our mission of “cultivating friendship and ties between Japan and the world,” all JF staff will continue our active engagement both in Japan and overseas. We appreciate your continued understanding and support.

KUROSAWA “Billy” Shinya
President
The Japan Foundation
October 2024

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