OFIX NEWS

Summer of 2024
Vol.

Osaka Foundation of International Exchange NewsFOCUST～Conversation with Consultation Staff～
We had a conversation with theconsultation staff of the Osaka
Information Service for Foreign
Residents. Please take a look! →P.3

Official Character

109

July 15, 2024

O PICS

Activity Report
2023 Report on the Osaka
Information Service for Foreign
Residents
Conversation with Consultation Staff
FREE Consultation Information

Bora-chan

Activity Report
FY2024
Collaborative
Program with theNational Council ofSocial WelfareThis year, OFIX is implementing a support program for foreign residents with the National Council of Social Welfare. In
addition to food banks being provided at consultations for foreign residents, OFIX plans to hold lectures and training
seminars for related organizations and their members on how to support foreign residents.

1st Training Seminar

6/18 (Tue)The National Council of Social Welfare contributes to the well-being of local regions through various
welfare services and volunteer activities. In collaboration with the council, we held a training seminar forcouncil staff, staff in charge of internationalization, and consultation staff from international exchange
associations. During the training, Shizuyo Yoshitomi, Professor of the School of Psychology and Social
Welfare/International Center Director for Mukogawa Women’s University, lectured about “MovingTowards a Society Where No One is Left Behind ～The Importance of Multicultural Social Work～”.

Cross-culturalAwarenessEducation (CAEE)At OFIX, we register foreign residents and international students as “supporters” who then visit schools in Osaka
Prefecture to take part in Cross-cultural Awareness Education classes. Through the supporters introducing theircountries’ culture and history, they can interact with the students and aim to deepen multicultural understanding aswell as promote multicultural coexistence.

Online Global Meeting【Elementary School】5/14 (Tue), 6/4 (Tue), 6/25 (Tue), 7/9 (Tue)【Junior High School】5/10 (Fri), 5/31 (Fri), 6/21 (Fri), 7/5 (Fri)

Online Global Meeting (OGM) is a series of four online classes for students in Higashiosaka City
organized by the local board of education. During the first round, supporters from China andUkraine introduced their countries. We received comments from students saying “It was fun tolearn about counting in China” and “It was great to learn a lot of different things about Ukraine.”Online International Club OSAKA

5/27 (Mon), 6/25 (Tue)Online International Club OSAKA is a series of online classes held by the Osaka Prefectural
Board of Education. These classes aim to help students with international roots in Osaka
Prefecture build their identity. The first class on 5/27 (Mon) had supporters from China, Iran andKorea join, and then the second class on 6/25 (Tue) had supporters from Argentina, Pakistan
and Vietnam join.

2023 Report on the Osaka Information Service for Foreign Residents
Trends During the 2023 Fiscal YearIn the 2022 fiscal year, “COVID-related consultations” accounted for the majority of the total number of consultations. However, following thereclassification of COVID-19 to “Class 5” in May 2023, the number of COVID-related consultations this year decreases significantly. Furthermore,last year we had many consultations related to refugees from Ukraine, but this year we have had much less. As a result, the total number ofconsultations went from 2,648 cases last year to 2,079 cases this year, showing a 30% decrease. Despite this, the number of foreigners living in
Osaka continues to reach record highs, and we received various different types of consultations, reflecting the increasing number of long-term
foreign residents in Osaka.
In the 2023 fiscal year, specialist consultations were improved to provide opportunities for foreign residents to consult directly with specialists
such as lawyers, Certified Administrative Procedures Legal Specialist, immigration officials, and Osaka Prefecture Labor Environment Division
officials. In addition, consultations with a Certified Clinical Psychologist were offered for the first time in response to the increasingly complex
and diverse needs of foreign residents.

No. of Consultations: 2,079 casesNo. of Specialist Consultations andRegional Consultation Opportunities

700600500

Specialist Consultations*400

・Event Dates: 54・Clients: 146・Cases: 128

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Regional consultations held with・Event Dates: 14
prefectural municipalities and・Clients: 197
International Exchange Organizations* ・Cases: 325*includes in-person, online, by phone etc., with double counting*1 includes Ukraine-related inquiries, crime, appointments for specialist consultations*2 includes COVID-related medical inquires*3 includes school/university/international school-related inquires

Updates of “Essentials for Living in Osaka” and Our Frequently Asked Questions
We have updated the “Guidebook for Foreign Residents: Essentials for Living in Osaka” (in 11 languages and plain Japanese) and ourfrequently asked questions.

Guidebook“Essentails for Living in Osaka”
https://ofix.or.jp/life-english/

PLEASENOTE

Frequently Asked Questions（FAQ）
https://ofix.or.jp/life-in-japanfaq-english/

The consultation hours for the Osaka Information Service for Foreign Residents have partially changed
since July 1. Please see the OFIX website for details.

～Conversation with Our Consultation Staff～
We had a conversation with our consultation staff members who provide consultation services for foreign residents daily at theOsaka Information Service for Foreign Residents. The conversation was full of laughter as they shared ideas about the changes inconsultations compared to the past, things to keep in mind when conducting consultations, and many other topics.
*Nicknames are being used. Also, please note that the interview was conductedin Japanese, therefore the English may not 100% capture the original content.

Usagi
2 months of consulting
experience

Tsunemi10 years of consulting
experience

Nanami1.5 years of consulting
experience

1. Changes in Consultation Topics and Languages
Tsunemi From my experience with consultations so far, I think thatthings have changed quite a bit. Specialist consultations are something
we started recently, and in the past, consultation staff used to handle
the majority of consultations from foreign residents. Of course, there
were cases in which the consultation staff connected the clients tospecialists, but more often than not, the consultation staff did their own
research, gathered information, and then passed it on to the clients.
Nanami I feel that there are many consultations and questions that
require assistance from specialists now. For example, different fromforeigners who have just arrived in Japan, those who have lived in Japanfor many years change their status of residence, get married, facedivorced, etc. These types of life changes make consultations moredifficult.
Tsunemi I think that’s also the reason why the number of calls about
simple questions have declined lately. I think it is partly because
foreigners are able to look things up on their own.
Debbie There are also quite a lot of clients who have at least dailyconversation level Japanese. I guess they may be going to Japanese
language classes or may be learning from the company where theywork.
Tsunemi Looking at the consultation data for the past several years,
the ratio of consultations in English and Japanese has increased. In thepast, there was a tendency to respond to consultations mainly inmultiple languages, but now the ratio of consultations in Japanese andEnglish has increased.
Debb﻿ie However, there are some clients who cannot communicate
adequately in Japanese or still prefer to speak in their native language.
There are also those who understand Japanese but are afraid theycannot express themselves fully in Japanese.
Nanami There are also certainly some cases where clients speak intheir native language because they are concerned about whether or notthey are being understood properly by Japanese natives.

2. Things to Keep in Mind When Conducting Consultations
Debb﻿ie There are many similar consultation cases, but each person
needs something different, so even if I start to catch on to what the clientis actually worried about, I try to follow their pace and listen to them withfresh ears.

DebbieKaeru

2 years of consulting
experience

1.5 years of consulting
experience

Nanami Sometimes clients can get emotional or angry during aconsultation, but I think it is important to be sympathetic towards theirfeelings because they may have frustration towards something they don’t
agree with or they may have stress they were holding in. Also, for clients
who have difficulty in sorting out problems, we often take time to listen
to them and discuss with them together, saying things like “This problem
may be the one you feel most trouble with and need to solve first”.
Usagi Apart from that, there are also clients who are in difficult
situations that can’t be resolved immediately, but they still just want tobe heard. For example, even though some clients speak Japanese very
well, they were not able to tell others about their complicated situations
or family circumstances, so they call OFIX instead. I have be told things
like “I just wanted to tell someone so I am glad I was able to say it”.
Kaeru It is also important to see things from a foreign resident’s pointof view. Recently in the seminar I went to, I heard about a foreign
resident’s experience of when he faced a natural disaster the day after hearrived in Japan. He was given onigiri and tea, but he did not know how
to eat the onigiri and could not drink the tea because it was too bitter.
From my perspective as a Japanese person, I was surprised at how
different the perceptions of people who have lived in Japan all their lives
are compared to those who come to Japan from overseas. It was a great
learning experience for me because it gave me a chance to discover newperspectives.
Nanami Kind of like, “Don’t focus only on what you can see, butinstead pay attention to what you cannot see”.
Debb﻿ie That is brilliant! That phrase expresses the very art ofconsultation. (All laugh)

3. Last but not least...
QHow do you relieve stress?

Tsunemi When I feel stressed, I talk to other consultation staff andafter sharing with one another I feel better.
Kaeru I’m very grateful that clients have relied on OFIX and contactedus, even in the midst of difficult circumstances or in the midst of sad orpainful situations.
AllHow heart warming ! (Laugh)FREEConsultations
Check out ourevent calendar for
more details.
https://ofix.or.jp/calendar/

7/29 (Mon) Free Information & Advicefor Foreign Residents
Izumisano City 13:00〜16:00
Place: Shappy House (1-16-5 Onishi,Izumisano City)
Areas of Consultation: Law, Visa,
Welfare, Finances, Child Raising, Daily
Life, etc.
Languages: English, Chinese, Filipino,Sinhala and Portuguese, Japanese
Method: In-person
We also have food to handout. (Items are limited)

July and AugustSpecialist Consultations at OFIX
Place: OFIX (5th Floor, MyDome Osaka, 2-5
Hommachibashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka)
Date and Time/Consultation Topics:▷Immigrationー7/24 (Wed) 13:30~17:30,8/28 (Wed) 13:30~17:30▷Legalー7/26 (Fri) 18:00~21:00,8/25 (Sun)13:30~16:30▷Clinical Psychologistー7/28 (Sun) 13:30~16:30,
8/23 (Fri) 18:00~21:00▷Laborー8/5 (Mon) 13:30~17:30,
8/19 (Mon) 13:30~17:30
Language: 13 languages
Method: In-person, online, by phone※Appointment required

Let's get to know Bora-chan!
Bora-chan the official character of OFIX, who is often seen on our pamphlets, website
etc., is the character born from the “Volunteer Leader Character Design” competition
held in 2012.

My favorite foodis Bora (mullet)！

BirthdayJan 25, 1989※Hobby

Jigsaw Puzzles

Place of Birth

Planet Earth

Special Skills

Making Friends

Personality

CaringFavorite PlaceOsaka※The date of the establishment of OFIX

AccessWe are looking for supporting members!
Annual membership: 50,000 yen for corporate
members, 3,000 yen for individual members
https://www.ofix.or.jp/donate/◆Provision of OFIX’s printed materials, reports and otherpublications free of charge or on a priority basis◆OFIX News (quarterly) and Report (yearly) containing
information on OFIX’s activities and international exchange◆FREE banner advertisements (for corporate members)※Donations to public interest foundations are eligible for tax benefits

Want your banner to shine on our page?
https://www.ofix.or.jp/banners/※﻿To be updated

JICA Osaka Desk ＠OFIX
Tel: 06-6966-2400
Email: jicadpd-desk-osakafu@jica.go.jp

Osaka Foundation of International Exchange (OFIX)
5th Floor, MyDome Osaka, 2-5 Hommachibashi,
Chuo-ku, Osaka 540-0029
TEL：06-6966-2400 FAX：06-6966-2401
Email：info@ofix.or.jp

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