NIA LETTER
Published by Niigata International Association（NIA）

Vol.

22
2021. 9NIA Oﬃcial Facebook

On the CoverInternational Exchange and Communication Meeting (Top Left), Korean Festival during
Golden Week (Top Right), Simple Japanese Workshop (Bottom Left), Editing Meetingfor the NIA LETTER (Bottom Right)

Contents
for Multicultural Coexistence ― What we all can do
Feature Efforts
Our report on the Multicultural Coexistence Symposium, and introducing the Shibata Multicultural Coexistence Coordinator！
■Introducing the 2021 Exchange Student Representatives!

2…………………………………………………… 5■From the Foreign Resident Consultation Center: Connecting Niigata…………………………………… 6

ほか■World Column ～ Vol. 1 Hello from the U.K.! ……………………………………………………………………………… 7

入れました■Foreign Language Tidbits ～Russia Edition～・Exchange Student Comic……………………………… 8

Feature

Efforts for Multicultural
Coexistence― What we all can do ―：FeatureHave you ever heard the term“multicultural coexistence”? Multicultural coexistence is when different cultures,
including Japanese nationals and foreign residents, live together in one society while recognizing and respecting thedifferences in each other’s cultures.
In Japan, regardless of the population size, the number of foreign residents living in Japan has increased. Even in
Niigata, there are many foreign residents that have come to study or work. On May 29th (Sat.), 2021, the Niigata
International Association held a symposium around building a thriving community that anyone, regardless ofnationality or culture, could take an active role in. The symposium, called the“Multicultural Coexistence Symposium- Together, Let’s Build Our Town,”took place at the Niigata Nippo MEDIA SHIP.

Efforts for Multicultural Coexistence

Ⅰ Keynote Speech “Can we change? Moving towards a Multicultural Coexisting Society”
Speaker: Ms. Hasebe Mika, Associate Professor, Meiji Gakuin University Center for Liberal Arts (Participated Remotely)
Ms. Hasebe Mika is an associate professor of sociology andmulticultural discourse at Meiji Gaikuin University’s Center for Liberal
Arts. She explained the condition of foreign residents in Japan, how thenational government is moving forward with methods of hiring foreign
workers, and how local governments can create policies on multicultural
coexistence. Then Ms. Hasabe spoke about research that was conductedin Kanagawa prefecture’s Ichou Housing Estate (a widespread public
housing area where many people from foreign nationalities live) as an
example of multicultural coexistence.
Furthermore, she expressed that in order to realize a multicultural
coexisting society, it is important for foreign residents to feel that they are accepted by Japanese society, and forJapanese society to consciously create opportunities for foreign residents to play an active role in their communities.

Ⅱ Lecture “The Challenge of New Universities ～ Creating innovation and diversity ～”Speaker：Mr. Ahmed Shahriar, President of Sanjo City University
Mr. Ahamed Shahriar, the president of the newly opened Sanjo City University, spoke
about the unique educational curriculum at his school, among other topics. He also spoke
in detail about the“Industry and University Cooperative Training,”which is designed tohelp students connect the“knowledge”they gain at university with“experience”throughpractical training at local companies, and develop their imagination and creativity further.
Mr. Shahriar said that Sanjo City University is considering accepting international
students in the future, but for now, the first step toward multicultural coexistence for theschool is to make efforts to adapt to the local environment by accepting local residents asstudents.

Participant’s Opinions
Niigata City ・“T”

When I saw the flyer for the symposium, I
decided to join because I thought it was achance for me to learn about the current
conditions of foreign residents. In recent years,
people have been calling for“equality”so that
more foreign immigrants can enter Japan, but inreality, I learned that we have to think about
policies before we can have equality. I was
reminded that, in order to multiculturally
coexist, we should not only be aware of actively
accepting people from overseas, but we mustalso create an environment where we can accept
them at any time by developing policies andmeasures.

2

Shibata City・“F”

I was curious about multicultural coexistence, so I
decided to join. I listened to the talks, and it
completely changed my mind on foreign residents inthe prefecture. As Japan’s population continues toage and shrink, and the number of foreign residents isincreasing, so I understood that overseas workers arevaluable.
The thing that surprised me most was a case fromoutside of the prefecture. In this example, the foreign
families living in a housing complex became wealthy
and left the area, leaving the remaining Japanesenationals in an even more difficult situation. The
symposium made me realize that, for the sake of ourown communities, we must think about living alongsideforeign residents.

Changes at the Entrance

Ⅲ Introduction: ―Seeing Niigata’s Multicultural Coexistence by Numbers
The leaders at NIA explained the data on the current state of foreign residents.
Number of Foreign
Residents living in Niigata

Total: 18,309(Total percentage ofresidents: 0.8%)
Niigata City-

5,899

Nagaoka City-

2,445

Joetsu City-

1,708

Minami Uonuma City-

1,025

Kashiwazaki City-

917

Nationalities of Foreign
Residents#1 China-

4,893#2 Vietnam-

3,500#3 The Philippines-

2,704#4 Korea-

1,700#5 Indonesia-

715

Visa Status of Foreign
Residents#1 Permanent Residents5,137#2 Technical Intern Trainees4,652#3 International Students2,188#4 Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/
International Relations1,215#5 S pouse or Child of aJapanese National1,166（June 2020, Ministry of Justice）

Ⅳ Panel Discussion - What is necessary to have a multicultural coexisting society?
With associate professor Ms. Hasabe Mika as the moderator, we had a panel
discussion. The panelists were Sanjo City University’s President Ahmed Shahriar;
Nguyen Thi Hong Sinh, a personal care assistant working at Niigata City’s Welfare
Center; and Ms. Tokita Miwa, the director of Global Support Association, which is atechnical intern management team that supports interns by finding companies that
accept them. The panelists took the stage to discuss the efforts to accept foreign
residents in the community and the attitudes necessary for to create a multicultural
coexisting society from their unique perspectives.

Efforts for Multicultural Coexistence

Published by：Niigata International Association (NIA)：
FeatureAt the symposium, there were
multilingual signs and pictograms. There
was also non-alcohol-based handsanitizer alongside regular alcohol-based
sanitizer. We carefully created a spacethat was conscious of many different
kinds of participants.

Students’Opinions
Ms. Zhao Rongjunzi, a student at
Niigata University from China:

I was really encouraged when I
listened to President Ahmed
Shahriar’s lecture. President Shahriar
said that all of the experiences andskills he has gained so far has notbeen through his own abilities, butthat he was supported by his
relationships with Japanese people. I
really felt the same way about that. Actually, when I
had just arrived in Niigata, it was really tough for me.
However, I gradually became better at speaking
Japanese, and now I am encouraged by everyone in
Niigata. Nearly every day I face culture shock, butfinding my place in the world is strangely interesting. I
would like to continue having cross-culturalcommunications and talking about various things withpeople in Niigata.

Ms. Sai Prakash Shidhaye, a student
at the Graduate Institute for
Entrepreneurial Studies from India:

The thing that I felt most at themulticultural coexistence symposium
was my responsibility as an exchange
student.
I really felt that, in order for
exchange students to make the mostof their chance to study abroad, oneof our duties is to create opportunities
to interact with the host society.
Regardless of the scale of Japan’s population, thenumber of foreign residents is increasing every year,
so we are experiencing globalization. I now feel that I
want to actively promote cross-cultural and social
exchanges between Japan and India. I understood
how“exchange students”do more than just study:
they become a part of their local community and formbonds with the local population, and theircontributions to society are important.

3

The first multicultural
coexistence coordinator in our
prefecture, with experience inthe Local Revitalization Group!

Community Action
Introducing a Multicultural Coexistence Coordinator!

：
FeatureEfforts for Multicultural Coexistence

Shibata City Local Revitalization GroupMulticultural Coexistence Coordinator
Mr. Sakata Yuuki
Mr. Sakata is from Niigata City’s Chuo
Ward. When he was 20, he studied abroad in
the Philippines for a short time, where hedeveloped an interest in foreign language
education. After returning home to Japan, hereentered university and made his debut as apart-time Japanese language teacher.
After graduating from university, hebecame a full-time instructor, and in 2019,
through the Japan Foundation, he wasdispatched to Myanmar as a“Japanese for
Daily Life Coordinator.”
From April 2021, he was made theCoordinator for Multicultural Coexistence for
Shibata City’s Local Revitalization Group.

Basic Information about Shibata City:
Population: 95,687 people (as of March
2021)
Number of Foreign Residents: 645 people(as of March 2021)
Nearly 90% of these residents have lived inJapan for a long time or are workers. Roughly
4% are foreign exchange students.
Top 3 Resident Statuses: (As of March 2021)
Permanent Residents: 203
Technical Intern: 202
Spouse or Child of a Japanese National: 39
Shibata’s famous products: asparagus,
Shibata beef, Echigo-hime strawberries
Recommended spots: Shibata Castle,
Tsukioka hot springs

What is a Coordinator for
Multicultural Coexistence?
Hello everyone, I’m Yuuki Sakata.
From April 2021, I became thecoordinator for multicultural
coexistence in Shibata City. What myjob mainly consists of is assisting
foreign residents that live in thecommunity, and also facilitatingexchanges between Japanesenationals and foreign residents orforeign coworkers. Regardless ofone’s nationality or culture, we canboth understand each other, and I
help create those experiences.

be a tough and difficult discussion,
but there’s no need to get defensive.
First, just “knowing” about it isenough.

With members of Shibata City’s Japanese Class(we cooperate with various events andJapanese language volunteer teacher）

We are already offering multifaceted
support, but we also are looking at
how we can help from a policy point ofview. Going forward, based on the
problems and needs we heard, wewould like to plan various events andimprove our system for distributing
information.

A typical day working at the city hall

Our goal is very big, but as I just
took over in this position, I’ll do mybest to understand the current
conditions and needs of our foreign
residents.
From those who provide information
at various institutions, volunteer
teachers who are making efforts toteach Japanese in the community,
school staff who are involved withchildren with foreign roots, andcompanies that hire foreign staff-there are many people involved in theenvironment surrounding a multicultural
coexisting society

4Community Revival Group has no limits—joined FM Shibata.
(Ever y Monday, Wednesday and Friday,
from 11:45-12:00 on“Ask the Community
Revival Group”)

What We All Can Do
In order to create a multicultural
coexisting society, we all must do ourpart. This is because it is absolutely
necessary for communities to havemulticultural coexistence. When you
hear the word “multicultural
coexistence,”you might think it will

( I n t e r v i e w i n g a n A LT t o c o l l e c t i n g
information for the multilingual newsletter“Shibata Ayame News”)

Try Starting Small
For example, when you watch thenews or read the newspaper about
foreign news, you’re gaining a little
bit more knowledge. Try saying hello
to the foreign people that live aroundyou. If you’re interested, pleasecome the next multicultural
coexisting society event in Shibata
City. Without“knowing,”you won’t
be able to understand, and you won’t
be able to build relevant connections.
As for me, I believe everyone’sawareness can change and connect
with multicultural coexistence.

In Conclusion
If there’s an event you want toparticipate in, or if there’s something
you want to know more about, please
don’t hesitate to ask me. Let’s work
together to reach our goal of
realizing a multicultural coexistingsociety.
Shibata City Hall,
Shimin Machizukuri Shien Division.
TEL: 0254-28-9640

Introducing our 2021 Exchange Student Representatives!

Recent Activities

Online Meeting (4/23)

Golden Week Korea Festival (5/2) Multicultural Symposium (5/29) Simple Japanese Workshop (7/17)

2021 Exchange Student Representatives（32 people）

Zhao Rongunzi
China

Jhu Jianti
China

Lui Wenheng
China

Zhasuna
China

Kang Zewen
China

Zhang Tongtong
China

Yin Zhaomou
China

Wang Chaomin
China

Ran Jianyin
China

Lee Yulee
Korea

Thant Sin
MyanmarVo Tien Thong
Vietnam

Ha Phuong Nam
Vietnam

Shen Zhiming
China

Ngo Minh Chu
VietnamChau Tuan Kien
Vietnam

Jiang Shangkun
China

Le Thangquang
VietnamMuhammad Abdul
Karim Montanaro
Indonesia

Al Amin
Bangladesh

Korathotage
Chathumini Perera
Sri Lanka

Li Simeng
China

Regina AncillaNatasyaIndonesia

Li Xiangwei
China

Le Cong Dat
VietnamHe Yaoqiang
China

Chen Junkang
China

Xia Yibu
China

Sai Prakash
ShidhayeIndia

Mao Yuchang
China

Liu Xinyi
China

Yang Liangwen
China

Introducing 2021 E xchange Student Representatives!

At the Niigata International Association, foreign exchange students that are eager to join events can register for
our“International Exchange Student Group.”In 2021, we had 32 new exchange students register from universities
within Niigata prefecture. Exchange Student Members can participate in workshops organized by the association tolearn about multicultural coexistence and support for foreign residents. They can also cooperate and participate inexchange events requested by schools, international exchange groups, and municipalities, where they can introduce
the culture in their home countries and talk about their experiences living and studying abroad.

More details about
Exchange Student
Members here:5

From the Foreign Resident Consultation Center:
Connecting Niigata～ Cooperating with Various Specialists ～FRCN Foreign Resident
Consultation Center of Niigata

Official Facebook

From the Foreign Resident Consultation Center

What kind of problems do you think foreign residents usually face, and what
difficulties do you think they have in living in Japan? At the consultation center,we cover a broad range of topics. We answer inquires related to visa statuses,
COVID-19, marriage and divorce, school for children, moving, and finding newwork, to name a few. Of course, the center cannot solve all of these problems
alone.
So that we can give you the most accurate information, it is absolutely
necessary that we cooperate with specialists when consulting. At the Foreign
Resident Consultation Center of Niigata, if you are worried about transferring
your child’s education from abroad, we have a knowledgeable expert on
education that is available once a week. We also have an administrative
Foreign Resident Consultation
scrivener who specializes in legal forms and paperwork, and an employee fromCenter of Niigata
the Tokyo Immigration Center; both are available for consultations once a（Inside Toki Messe building, 2nd floor）
month. Furthermore, we have a lawyer from the prefectural association of law
who offers consultations at our office once every two months. Besides these,
the Niigata Administrative Evaluation Office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs andCommunications provides us with advice regarding administrative consultations.
From here on, taking into account each person’s culture, values, and way of thinking, we will
lend an ear, using the resources and connections we have, and suggest the best solutions andhelp that we can.

2020 Performance Report
Look for our signs!

【Comparing the number of consultations】【Types of consultation received】

Other-30%

Immigration
paperwork-21%

Education(grade
school,university,international
university)-18%

Taxes-0.4％
Childbirth/Childcare-1%

2020

718

2019

476

Company insurance/Annual pension-1%
Transportation/Driver's License-1%

Employment/
Labor-11%

Personal Relations(marriage,divorce,
domestic violence, etc)- 2%
Studying Japanese-3%
Home concerns-3%

0

200

400

600

Medical-5%Translation/interpretation-4%

FRCN Foreign Resident Consultation Center of Niigata
Niigata-shi, Chuo-ku, Bandaijima 5-1, Bandaijima Bldg. (Toki Messe) 2F
025 － 241-1881
nia10@niigata-ia.or.jp●Types of consultations：Residence/visa status, jobs, education, healthcare, welfare,other consultations and general information about living in Japan●Hours: Monday - Friday 10:00 ～ 17:00(Reception closes at 16:30)●Specialist Consultations (Reservations prioritized): Education, Administrative Scrivener(Gyosei-shoshi), Immigration Proceedures, Legal Consultation

6

For details,
see here:(our homepage)800

World Column～ Vol. 1 Hello from the U.K. ～Ms. Ito Yumi

Currently
back in Japan

COVID-19 Pandemic and Moving
Forward

Because of COVID-19, we were forbidden to meet morethan 3 people at a time, we couldn’t leave our homes
except to buy essential goods; and if we went out, we could
only leave once a week—so it was very difficult to meetwith my friends. To release stress, I took a soccer ball tothe park by myself, or I blew bubbles and flew kites with afriend. I went running too, and from my room, I did muscle
training, among other things. This was a chance for me tolearn some performance skills, so I tried to learn how to do
magic tricks and balloon art. I spoke with my family inJapan on the phone every week, and because of theirsupport, I was able to get through the COVID-19 pandemic.

World C olumn

・She was born in Shibata City in 1992
・After graduating university, she
worked for an international logistics
company for about 1 year
・She was dispatched to Madagascar
through the Japan Overseas
Cooperation Volunteers for 2 years,
from 2017-2019.
・She attended graduate school in the
U.K. and received her master’s degreein Peace Studies
・Since returning to Japan, she isworking at an NGO

Introducing Japanesenationals living abroad!

Exchange Student Life in the U.K.

Students came to my university from over 140 countries
all over the world. I had roommates from Hungary, Sudan,
India, and Iraq in my dorm. Although we were all studying
different subjects, we became good friends, and wealways cooked and ate dinner together every weekend. I
get asked this a lot, so I want to talk about my schedule ingraduate school. In one week, I took 3 required and 3
elective courses. It might not seem like much, but thinking
back on it now, it was a pretty busy schedule. I was also
studying Spanish too, so I would leave my dorm in themorning, come back for lunch, and then would come homeagain after 6 pm.

My roommates

With my friends from West Africa

Lockdown

From the end of March, the U.K. went into lockdown.
Thankfully, all of my in-person classes had finished justbefore the lockdown started, so I was able to work on mythesis while receiving guidance online for the last few
months. In August 2020, the U.K. had their own Go To Eat
campaign, which lasted only one month. From Mondays to
Wednesdays, you could get half off at restaurants, so I
would go to cafes to work on my thesis during that time.

Winter in Bradford

Seeing and Feeling Multicultural
Coexistence in the U.K.

From the start of the pandemic, many people assumed
Asian people were spreading the virus around the world,and I also experienced discrimination. When walking
among a lot of British people, as the only Japaneseperson, I was asked about my job, and I was not allowed
into stores on some excuse, and locals suddenly beganverbally abusing me while I was shopping. It is difficult to
explain the U.K.’
s culture or people in one word, but I feltthat it’s becoming multiracial because of an increase inimmigration. Black Lives Matter demonstrations happened
often, and I thought the U.K. was more sensitive to theissue of race than Japan is. However, I was able to see
the beautiful U.K. that everyone imagines. People spokewith elegant English, and there was a gentle atmosphereof sophistication; if someone was having difficulty, others
were willing to lend a hand.

Football team

Lockdown

Bradford Street

With my friendBlack Lives Matter Demonstration

U.K. (The full name is: The United Kingdomof Great Britain and Northern Ireland—thelongest name in the world!)
Population: 66.8 million people
National language: English
Land area: 245,000 ㎢ (about 2/3rd the size of Japan)
Sports such as soccer (the most popular), rugby,
cricket and tennis all started in the U.K.!
≪Data from≫https://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/area/uk/data.html

7

NIA Foreign Language Tidbits: Russia Edition
NIA Foreign Language Tidbits and Exchange Student Comic

To all readers of the NIA Letter, hello!

This is Ekaterina, from Russia. Thanks to you, I’
ve been working as a Coordinator forInternational Relations in Niigata for 5 years now, so it really feels like Niigata is mysecond hometown.
Getting into it, are you looking forward to the autumn season? Although I love fall inboth Russia and Japan, today I’d like to tell you about“Autumn in Russia.”
In Japan, the red and orange maple leaves represent fall, but in Russia, we use theexpression“Golden Autumn,”because the main features are the bright yellow leaves ofthe beech and birch trees. Russia is a massive and widespread country, and the climatechanges depending on the region, but in my hometown of Siberia, the leaves on the trees
become very beautiful from around the middle of September. This is when the days become more autumn-likeand the climate is very comfortable, so if you take a trip to Russia, I highly recommend this season.
Next, this a feature of the Russian school system, but unlike Japanese schools which start in spring, ourschools begin in fall. At the end of their 2-3 month long summer holiday, Russian students begin their school
year on September 1st. We have a culture of giving flowers in Russia, so at the entrance ceremonies you can see
many students holding bouquets of autumn flowers such as chrysanthemums, asters, gladiolus, and dahlia
flowers to give to their teachers.
Furthermore, autumn is the season for harvesting thefields and gardens, so we can enjoy the bounties of theearth. For me, when I think of autumn cuisine, foods
such oven-roasted vegetables with aromatic porchinimushrooms, and juice from berries (like lingonberries
and cranberries) come to mind. Autumn is also the best
season for making pies with apples or pears spiced withcinnamon. How about
making some heartwarming autumn food too?
Autumn in Russia - School
entrance ceremony

Autumn in Russia - Fall Scenery in
Pushkin Town

Exchange Student Comic

Episodes about experiences while living in Japanas an exchange student, in comic form!

Soy sauce that
goes with rice!

#7

Salt
ramen

Miso
ramen

Soy sauceramen

Soy sauce“Repetoire”

I wonder what kindof food Japan has…

So

ys

Soy
sauce
pickledsalmonroe

The base flavor
is soy sauce...

au…Soy sauce
Sweet soy sauce
dumplings
Soy sauce sweets
Soy sauce dip
Soy sauce broth
Soy sauce ice cream
Edible soy sauce
Soy sauce seasoned rice
Soy sauce scented…
Spicy soy sauce
Sweet soy sauce
Wasabi Soy Saucece

It’s all the same
flavor!!

Pen Name:

Ookii
①

②

③

④

～ Message from the author ～Thank you for letting me draw this edition’s comic. Through this episode, you can look at Japanthrough another person’s perspective, and you can feel the difference in culture, which is really fun. I
hope you enjoyed this comic!
◇ Ookii ◇ Japan Animation & Manga College - Manga Creation Division, 2nd year

8

■ Published by the Niigata International Association
Niigata-shi, Chuo-ku, Bandaijima 5-1, Bandaijima Bldg. (Toki Messe) 2F
Phone: 025-290-5650
Fax: 025-249-8122
Email: nia21c@niigata-ia.or.jp
Website: https://www.niigata-ia.or.jp/