Japan invites Filipino youths to Kizuna youth-exchange program

MANILA Sept. 27 -- The Embassy of Japan in Manila has announced that at least 207 students from other countries, including Filipino youths, were invited to join its short-term Kizuna Project that will be held from December 2012 to March 2013.

Interested Filipino youths can still catch-up and file their application until September 28, 2012 at the National Youth Commission website http://www.nyc.gov.ph/, or can make inquiries through Ms. Marielou A. Chua or Ms. Sarah Grutas of NYC at 4162833 and at internationalprograms@nyc.gov.ph .

The Embassy of Japan in Manila said, the Kizuna Project was approved by the Japanese Diet as part of its third supplementary budget in November 11 that will be implemented in March 2013.

Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba also conveyed the Kizuna Project to Foreign Secretary Albert Del Rosario during his visits to Japan from June 27 to 29, 2012, citing that a total of 285 Filipino youths will be invited to Japan to take part in the program.

The word kizuna which means “bonds” was set-up as the key inspiration of Japan’s Kizuna Project that is aimed to promote global understanding of its revival and reconstruction efforts after the so-called Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE) that occurred on March 11, 2011.

The Kizuna Project for March 2013 will cater on its short-term program that will compose 207 youth exchange students from other countries, including Filipinos, with ages ranging from 18-24 years old, along with 16 supervisors, for a two-week immersion activities.

Local families will host qualified youths participating in the Kizuna Project. They will also be visiting the Tohoku region affected by the GEJE to observe reconstruction in the area.

The students will also participate in lectures and workshops about the reconstruction efforts and disaster risk management of Japan. Said programs will allow the participants to experience first-hand the efforts underway at disaster sites that are dynamically engaged in recovery initiatives, and to promote better understanding on the reconstruction in Japan.

This Kizuna Program is coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Japan through the cooperation of the Japan Information and culture Center (JICC) of the Embassy of Japan in Manila, and the National Youth Commission (NYC) of the Philippines.

Below is the distribution of slots and duration of the Kizuna program: First batch: 46 students and four supervisors with duration from December 10 to 19, 2012; Second batch: 77 students and six supervisors with duration from March 11 to 20, 2013; and, Third batch: 84 students and six supervisors with duration from March 18 to 27, 2013.

So far, the Kizuna Project under its Long-Term Invitation Program for University Students and Others from the ASEAN Countries and Four Other Countries had already started last September 9, 2012.

Under the program, four students from each of the participating countries, namely the Philippines, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, India, Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand, and East Timor have already joined the program.

A total of 56 university or graduate school students have participated in the four courses offered under this project. At least one from the Philippines was chosen to participate in each of the four courses.

The Kizuna Project envisions that the invited youths from other countries will relay the current status of Japan's reconstruction efforts to the people of their respective home countries via report presentations and other means of communications

All expenses by participants in the Kizuna Project were and will be shouldered by the Japanese government.