The 47th Convention of Nikkei and Japanese Abroad
Conference Declaration
We, volunteers and representatives of Nikkei and Japanese living in various countries
abroad, during the three day period from September 26th through the 28th of 2006 held
the 47th Convention of Nikkei and Japanese Abroad in Tokyo. Based upon the generaltheme of “Aiming for the new development of the Nikkei community--Looking back on
our history, turning it into the energy towards tomorrow” the convention debated thefollowing three issues: (1) Studying the history of the Nikkei community (2) The newdevelopment of the Nikkei community (1. Bringing the younger generation into Nikkei
society. 2. Enriching Japanese language education. 3. Supporting Nikkei working inJapan. 4. Establishing Kokusai Nikkei Net.), (3) Other issues (Plans to hold 2007’s
Convention of Nikkei and Japanese Abroad in Sao Paolo, Brazil in conjunction with the14th Biennial Convention of the Pan American Nikkei Association ; reforms of overseas
voting system; support of abandoned Japanese-Filipino children; employment problems
for Nikkei Koreans; etc.) As stated below, the convention has formed six resolutions,and by putting together our requests to the relevant government agencies and Japanesesociety, issue a two-point declaration in the name of this convention.
Resolutions(1) We will study the history of the Nikkei community and Japanese migration abroadand, drawing on its lessons and turning them into energy toward new development andprosperity in the Nikkei community.
It has already been 138 years since Japanese migration overseas began with theimmigrations to Hawaii in the first year of the Meiji period. This year, various
ceremonies were held to commemorate events including the 50th anniversary of the
migration to the Dominican Republic, a history filled with hardship, on June 29th; on
July 27th there was a ceremony for the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the
Mexican Nikkei national organization, the Japanese-Mexican Association; and on
September 8th a commemoration took place for the 70th anniversary of the migration to
Paraguay, which made a large contribution to the country’s farming industry.
In addition, on October 7th, there are plans to hold a commemorative event in Canada
for the 100th anniversary of the founding of the “Vancouver Japanese Language School& Japanese Hall,” and in Brazil preparation is well under way for a commemorative

ceremony honoring the 100th anniversary of migration to Brazil to be held in the capital
Brasilia on June 18th of the year after next.
These anniversary events give Nikkei an opportunity to reflect upon the history of the
Nikkei community. At meetings with the recently retired Prime Minister, Junichiro
Koizumi and also on other occasions, the presidents of Japanese immigrants’ hostcountries highly praised contributions to the prosperity of the Nikkei communities’ hostcountries and the Nikkei. We welcomed this praise with gratitude, and considered ways
in which we could continue to be praised despite the alarming tendency of younger
generations to increasingly separate from the Nikkei community and the Japanese
language. To find the answer to that question, we looked back at the history of the
Nikkei community. We found that this high assessment came from, first and foremost,diligence, integrity, strong will, and outstanding ability achieved through education, as
well as acclimatizing to our host countries’ societies and coexisting with them, in otherwords, this evaluation arose from the spirit of compliance that is a unique characteristicof the Nikkei.
At the same time, we are certain that this praise is the result of overall efforts by the
Nikkei community and Japan. That is to say, private organizations such as the
Association of Japanese and Nikkei abroad; governmental organizations such as theJapan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the prefectures, and the Japanese
government, all of which have supported the Nikkei community, Nikkei, and Japaneseabroad in good faith. Crucial too are the efforts of the Japanese Association, Nikkei
Association, Prefectural Associations, and various other Nikkei associations, whichhaving earned understanding and cooperation of the community, encouraged the uniquecharacteristics of Nikkei, maintained the bond with our mother country Japan, andstrove to develop and maintain good relations between Japan and our host countries.
This is the starting point of the development of the Nikkei community.
Hereafter, we resolve, with the support and cooperation of the mother country Japan, towork to strengthen the various Nikkei community organizations such as the Japanese
associations, Nikkei associations, and prefectural associations, as well as the progress of
Nikkei and our unique characteristics.
(2) As a part of that effort, we will, first, promote the proactive participation of theyounger generation as Nikkei in the Nikkei community. We will aggressively encourage

the new generation to take over as the core of the Japanese Association, Nikkei
Association, and other Nikkei community organizations, and aim to strengthen them.
The maintenance and development of the Association of Nikkei and Japanese Abroad is
not possible without the strength of a younger generation of successors. We haveconstantly endeavored to cultivate our successors. However, as these descendents
become third, fourth, and fifth-generation, it is an unfortunate reality that the younger
generation’s sense of identity as Nikkei is becoming weaker and there is an increasing
tendency for them to pull away from the Nikkei community.
At the 46th Convention last year, regarding this problem we resolved to “strive toestablish Nikkei communities corresponding to the reality of today’s Nikkei people,
including the younger generation,” but at this conference, because of the importance of
the Nikkei community shown by history, we have focused on this problem. The Youth
Conference centered on the youngest generations studying in Japan which initially took
place at the previous conference was held again. During this conference, we listened topresentations and debated concrete measures for improving the situation.
According to the Youth Conference’s presentations, there are various reasons for the
youngest generation’s separation from the Nikkei community, but what caught ourattention was that the gap between the young, middle, and older generations is large,
and as a result, the younger generation has many non-Japanese friends, and Nikkei
social activates are becoming less attractive. The reality is that even if they doparticipate in Nikkei social activities, it is frequently the case that the members of theleadership will not interact with them. Therefore, while encouraging the younger
generation to understand the significance of the Nikkei community, we will proactively
promote the involvement of the next generation in the Nikkei communities’ variousorganizations and engage in more active exchange with non-Nikkei communities.
(3) We will give our fullest energy to Japanese language education for Nikkei.
For the new prosperity of the community of Nikkei and Japanese Abroad, we must
maintain and develop the bonds and close connections between the mother country
Japan and the Nikkei community. The basis for this is Nikkei acquiring the Japanese
language, and then through Japanese, learning about and understanding various aspectsof Japan, beginning with its culture. By studying the Japanese language, those who live

abroad can understand and acquire the excellent spiritual characteristics of the Japanesepeople and establish an identity as Nikkei. It is essential to acquire Japanese for those
who are studying and working in Japan. Japanese language education is extremely
important for spreading Japanese culture to our host countries, making Japan
understood. It is also important to maintain and develop good relationships between
host countries and Japan, which is a basic condition of a durable Nikkei community.
At this conference, Sachiko Sakayori, a teacher at the Vancouver Japanese Language
School & Japanese Hall, spoke on the topic of “Enriching Japanese Language
Education.” She spoke from the position of a teacher actively engaged in Japanese
education in the Nikkei community and emphasized the “importance of students being
conscious that they are Nikkei.” Later, the Director of the Hiromi Tani Brazil Japanese
Language Center proposed a plan to establish an “Intensive Japanese Language Cram
School for Working in Japan” The conference supported the plan and resolved tocooperate toward it.
However, there are many difficulties with Japanese language education abroad. Without
the support and cooperation of Japan, the mother country, it will not fully succeed. We
are hoping for strong support for training Japanese language teachers for the Nikkei
community and an improvement of the system for studying in Japan. In that sense, there
are great expectations for the proactive activities of the “Inheritance Japanese Language
Center” established last year by the Association of Nikkei and Japanese Abroad.
In addition, in the Nikkei community, even if one learns the Japanese language, there
are few opportunities to use it. There are concerns that it is more advantageous to study
English as a foreign language than Japanese. On this point, we are hoping that Japaneseenterprise will proactively employ Nikkei who learn Japanese. Furthermore, at thismeeting, we would like to add that one reason that was given for the distancing of theyounger generation from the Nikkei community is the decrease in study abroad
opportunities in Japan.
(4) We recognize that Nikkei workers in Japan make a large contribution to Japan’s
prosperity, and they strengthen the bond between the mother country of Japan and the
Nikkei community. We will make further efforts to grapple with the various problems
that arise when working in Japan and make work simpler and more stable. In addition,
we hope that there will be no change in the Japanese government’s current foreign

worker policy, which gives preference to Nikkei.
We fully recognize and anticipate that the 370,000 Nikkei workers currently in Japan, as
has been acknowledged by the Japanese economic world, make a large contribution to
the Japanese economy. They strengthen the bond between the mother country Japan and
the Nikkei community. Consequently they contribute to the development andmaintenance of amicable relations between Japan and the countries where Nikkei
communities are located.
However, it is also true that Nikkei work in Japan as foreigners, and they create many
problems such as friction with the work places’ local communities, intervention ofimmoral agents, employment of camouflaged Nikkei, a rash of crimes by Nikkei inJapan, neglect of workers’ children’s education, and so on. We will endeavor further tosolve these problems and provide workers with peace of mind. To that end, preparatory
education in each Nikkei community, with particular emphasis on Japanese language
and coexisting with the workers’ local communities, can help to avoid tension withworkers’ local communities and reduce crime.
With the cooperation of Japan’s overseas diplomatic offices, it is also possible toeliminate immoral agents and camouflaged Nikkei workers by conducting sufficient
preliminary examinations. Currently, the largest problem facing the Nikkei workers, thatof workers’ children’s education being neglected is currently considered to be theindividual worker’s problem. However, this problem can, to an extent, be solved byestablishing facilities that can provide preparatory consultation to Nikkei communities.
Whatever the case, cooperation from Japan is essential to addressing these problems.
We hope for proper measures to be taken by Japan’s government, other relatedorganizations, and the business community. There have been some claims that the
problems caused by Nikkei workers show that priority treatment for Nikkei foreign
workers has been a failure, but it cannot be disputed that the demerits of Nikkei workers
are far outweighed by their benefits. On this point, we strongly desire that the current
policy of giving priority treatment to Nikkei workers, which has been in place since1991, remains unchanged.

(5) We will continue to promote the establishment of the “Kokusai Nikkei Net.”In February of last year, with the president of the Nikkei Foundation as its chair, theKokusai Nikkei Net Council, spoke of their aim of establishing the “Kokusai Nikkei
Net,” a global information network linking Nikkei communities all around the world
centered on the Association of Nikkei and Japanese Abroad. It was established within
the Yokohama Association of Nikkei and Japanese Abroad as was agreed in the
resolutions of the 45th Convention of Nikkei and Japanese Abroad held the year before
last.
Active efforts have been made to establish the network. In an international society inwhich globalization and interdependent relations are increasingly progressing, without
argument it is extremely important to establish an information network that will
strengthen ties by creating links among Nikkei communities and also between Nikkei
and the Japanese. We give our full support to the activities of the Kokusai Nikkei Net
Council, and using the existing networks of the Pan American Nikkei Association and
the Brazil Japan Culture Association as a reference, and with the cooperation of thoseorganizations, we are continuing to make progress towards the establishment of the
Kokusai Nikkei Network.
The activities of the Council are currently receiving a great deal of support. However,according to the Association of Nikkei and Japanese Abroad which is the core of theCouncil, since last year, the association can no longer depend upon funds donated bycompanies for the establishment and administration of the system, as was its initial
policy. As a result the association has difficulty covering activities with its own funds.
Therefore, the Association has laid down its basic policy of working towards the
network’s completion through approaching various national and local governmentorganizations. The Association has explained to the conference that it has been actively
pursuing this policy but it has not yet yielded results that were accepted by theconvention.
(6) We agree to accept the proposal of the Pan American Nikkei Association to hold the2007 48th Convention of Nikkei and Japanese Abroad in conjunction with the 14th
Biennial Convention of the Pan American Nikkei Association in July of the same year
in Sao Paolo, Brazil.

The majority of the Conventions of Nikkei and Japanese Abroad, from the first in 1957
until this 47th convention, have been held in Tokyo. Only once has the Convention been
held abroad: in 1968 during the 100th anniversary of the migration to Hawaii, the 9th
Convention was held in Honolulu, Hawaii. Felix Shingo Kasamatsu, a representativefrom the Pan American Nikkei Association to the 46th Convention last year,
approached the Association of Nikkei and Japanese Abroad about holding the meetings
together. The discussion bore fruit, and the meetings will finally be held together.
The population of Nikkei in Brazil is approximately 1,400,000, accounting for 54% of
the total of approximately 2,600,000 Nikkei worldwide. The Nikkei population is
focused in Sao Paolo. In addition, because Brazil is moving towards the centenary
celebration of Japanese immigration to Brazil in 2008, we consider it appropriate andright occasion to hold the convention in conjunction with the Pan American Nikkei
Association, the convention for Nikkei from every country in the Americas.
Requests(1) Cooperation and assistance for the centenary celebration of Japanese immigration to
BrazilIn recognition of the importance of the 2008 centenary celebration of the Japaneseimmigration to Brazil which will take place in two years time, we again ask forcooperation and support.
(2) For the promotion of participation in overseas voting.
On September 14th of last year, the day the Convention of Nikkei and Japanese Abroad
was held, the Japanese Supreme Court ruled in a historical decision finding it
unconstitutional to not recognize the right of Japanese nationals abroad to vote in local
elections. We, who had endeavored to realize local elections, welcomed this news.
However, based on this decision, on June 9th of this year, the Diet completed a revised
Public Office Election Act, which, from our perspective, was making a change for theworse. That is to say, the voting period, which was from the day after the election wasannounced until five days before the election in Japan, was shortened to six days before
the election. We have taken every opportunity to request that the number of voting
locations be increased and the voting period extended, but the result was a one day cut
in the voting period. The government administration should consider how important thisone day is for oversea voters. On this point, we ask that the provision regarding voting
period of the former law should be applicable or, if we are discussing our wishes, that itshould be extended.
September 27, 2006
The 47th Convention of Nikkei and Japanese Abroad