56th Convention of the Nikkei and Japanese Abroad
Conference Declaration
We, the representatives and interested members of Nikkei and Japanesedescendants living abroad and in Japan, discussed about the general topic “Post-WarHistory of Japan and Nikkei Communities in Retrospect” in the Meeting of Country
Representatives and the three Working Sessions ( “Post-War Development of Japan andNikkei Communities”, “Overseas Japanese Business and Nikkei Communities”, and“Message to the World: Lessons to be Drawn from Post-War History”) of the 56thConvention of Nikkei and Japanese Abroad, taken place in Tokyo for the three daysranging from October 27th to 29th, 2015. We declare that the following 7 statements wereadopted as the result of this Convention.
1. The Nikkei abroad, taking the experiences of the 70 years of postwar into account, will
work hard for the transmission of the heritage produced in this period and, at the sametime, will work to further strengthen its role as a bridge between Japan and otherregions.
During Second World War, we found ourselves in extremely severe conditions
due to conflicts between our countries of residence and Japan. After the war, however, asa result of our efforts, we built a firm position as a citizen of the country that we live in.
We understand that the Convention of Nikkei and Japanese Abroad initiated as an
expression of gratitude towards the Nikkei, who participated in great number in therelief activity of LARA (Licensed Agencies for Relief in Asia), helping Japan which wasexperiencing serious food and material shortage after war.
We, on this year after 70 years since the end of the war, strongly feel theimportance to think about the past and connect the history to the next generation. Agood example is Indonesia, where the second generation of Zanryu Japanese has taken
the lead in the management of social welfare associations founded by the firstgeneration and has worked hard to keep projects such as Japanese language schools andspecial schools for children with autism. In the other hand, we can also see the situationin the Philippines, where individuals were separated from their parents, becoming
unable to prove their Japanese identity due the loss of certificates. They are still fighting
for their Toseki. Also, we shall not forget that, even though Japan is providing medicalcare, there are more than 1,000 foreign residents of the first and second generations whowere victims of the atomic bomb.
We will continue to cherish the bonds that we enjoy with Japan, a country thathas lived as a Pacifist nation, in many fields such as the social, the economic, and thecultural. We will play the role of bridge and strengthen the ties between our countries ofresidence and Japan. At the same time, we will advocate for the importance ofpreserving the tangible and intangible heritages that our ancestors have built in theperiod of the postwar.
2. We wish assistance and understanding for the Nikkei associations, which work hard
toward the preservation of Japanese culture and language.
The many “Japanese Festivals” held across countries developed in such a waythat now they involve every local citizen at the community level – not only Nikkeis. We
wish for further support and understanding from the Japanese society and – inparticular – from the Japanese government. These events are organized by Nikkei
associations and they help spread Japanese culture at the local level.
The Nikkei community has been focusing on the Japanese language education
at the elementary and middle school level. However, we are also beginning to engage inhigher education. In the Philippines, the “Mindanao Kokusai Daigaku” was established.
In Brazil, a course aimed at training Japanese language instructors will initiate in 2016
in partnership with a Brazilian university.
3. We expect to be partners with Japanese companies committed to internationalexpansion. We hope to see further localization of these enterprises.
Today, Japanese companies are increasingly advancing to foreign countries. We
believe that, in order for these companies to fully enter these markets and achieve
management stability, it is essential that they achieve further localization.
Many of the countries that Nikkeis live are multiethnic. We are confident that
we have gained solid trust from the host-country and its local people, particularly inregions with long history of immigration. Our strength is the possession of the necessaryknow-how to coexist and compete in a multiethnic environment. We also have humanresources that have accumulated skills through work and education in Japan. We hopethat Japanese companies will recognize their talents and work in cooperation with themas business partners.
4. We, Nikkei youths will contribute to the creation of a new international order bylearning from the Past-war history
After 70 years since the end of the war, Japan proved that it is possible tobecome an economically prosperous nation under “pacifism”. We believe that Japanese“pacifism” is a model for other nations and we will use our Nikkei network to transmit
and share the ideals of “pacifism”.
We, Nikkei youth recognize that there is still a distrust and resentment in
between Japan and neighbor countries. Nikkei youth requests that all parties involved
engage in good faith in further efforts to solve their conflicts. Nikkei youth promise toengage with Japanese neighbors with respect, cooperation and tolerance and enhancemutual understanding and trust between the citizens.
5. We advocate for further understanding toward the issue of the ageing Nikkei
community.
The Nikkei community is starting to experience the effects of the ageing
problem. By sharing the Japanese experience and the experience of countries where
Nikkeis are living abroad, we contend that it is necessary to strengthen interest on thismatter.
6. We request that the Japanese government approves multiple nationality. In addition,
we request that the JR group issues the “Japan Rail Pass” to the people with multiple
nationality.
As it is determined in the Family Register Act “The Japanese citizen lose theirnationality when they choose to obtain the nationality of another country”. In some of
the cases, this may violate the dignity and the right of the Japanese children grew up
abroad to pursuit the happiness as “Japanese”. We claim to the Japanese government toaccept multiple nationality that allows them to be a national citizen of the country theywere born, while also accepting them to be a Japanese citizen.
In addition, we claim to the Japanese JR group to issue the “Japan Rail Pass”
for the second generation Nikkei holding multiple nationalities, who wish to know more
about Japan.
7. We propose the simplification of the overseas voting system
This year in June, the Public Officers Election Act was revised and the voting
age was now brought down to 18 years old. 15 years have passed since theimplementation of overseas voting. As we have proposed in the Convention 4 years ago,
we demand for the improvements such as: (1) Automatic registration of voters at thecity (or ward) office before the emigration, (2) Automatic distribution of voting
notification (by post) to the persons registered and (3) Electronic voting to be
implemented at the diplomatic establishment abroad.
End*LARA (Licensed Agencies for Relief in Asia)=An emergency relief organization for Asia
that consisted of 13 religious, social, and labor associations.