Promoting values, attitudes and behaviors to enjoy a life free from violence was the guiding theme of the International Day of Peace, which took place virtually (due to the coronavirus pandemic) on Saturday, September 19, 2020.
Tomoko Aikawa, Hiroshima Peace Ambassador and international advisor to the Mayors for Peace Network, explained that the forum is part of the activities promoted by the Sadoko Foundation in collaboration with the Japanese Association of Tucumán.
Organized within the framework of the International Day for Peace, which is celebrated on September 21, this free meeting presented the education of the culture of Peace at the initial and higher levels, origami for Peace, the architecture of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and the relationship with Argentina, testimonies of Mayors of Peace, how to go to Japan through the Working Holiday program, as well as different experiences to study in Japan.
The ceremony brought together numerous people from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Spain and the rest of the world, interested in the topic, as there were presentations of experiences, projects and information about the possibility of traveling to Japan, which were broadcast through digital platforms on Facebook and Instagram.
The Hiroshima Ambassador for Peace recounted her arrival in the country from Hiroshima 29 years ago, inspired by Japanese survivors who wanted to live far from the site of the atomic bomb and settled in Buenos Aires. “Argentina offers friendship and food. This is the reason for starting to transmit in Spanish what happened in Hiroshima, and then, through the management of the Sadoko Foundation whose objective is to promote friendship, peace and the environment,” Tomoko said. “I wanted to follow in the footsteps of my predecessors and precursors who made friends and integrated society both in Argentina and in Latin America,” she added.
Along these lines, the Consul of the Embassy of Japan, Furukawa Yashikaku, explained how to apply for the Working Holiday Japan for Argentines.
He reported that the Working Holiday program between Argentina and Japan began in October 2017. This program is aimed at young people between 18 and 30 years old with the aim of promoting close cooperation between both countries and providing greater opportunities to appreciate the culture and way of life in general of the other country in order to enhance mutual understanding.
What does this Working Holiday programme consist of?
Without taboos, Furukawa Yashikaku explained that the Working Holiday program is granted to young people for a period of one year during which they can vacation and work sporadically to cover the costs of the trip. “Argentina was the first country in Latin America to sign the Working Holiday agreement with Japan. Currently, Chile is the second,” he clarified. And he added: “Unfortunately, at this time of the pandemic, the program is temporarily suspended, although it is expected to count on the participation of young people once it resumes. Travel to Japan is permitted only for Argentines married to Japanese, children of Japanese or residents.”
Along the same lines, the Consul explained that most of the Argentine applicants come from the cities of Buenos Aires, Bariloche, Río Negro, Tierra del Fuego, Santa Fe, Córdoba, Tucumán, Salta, Jujuy, Mendoza, Entre Ríos, Misiones, Neuquén and San Juan. “Many travel to learn Japanese, but this implies a high cost if one studies in language institutes, for this reason most opt for volunteer teachers sponsored by local governments,” he said.
Furukawa Yashikaku also gave details of other reasons for travelling. “Some people travel to practice judo, karate or kendo. Others go to improve their cooking skills at Japanese restaurants.”
He explained that the main jobs that the program members find are as Spanish teachers, hotel receptionists, restaurant or cafe assistants, ski or snowboard instructors, IT and factory workers. “Given the difficult situation of the current pandemic, many have found work in agriculture, on the outskirts of large cities, helping with the harvest of vegetables and caring for animals,” explained the head of a consular office.
The main places to visit are Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, although less traditional destinations such as Kagoshima also receive visitors. These cities are visited because they are preferred places for foreigners, but also because of the influence of those who have traveled and share their experiences on social networks.
On the other hand, the diplomat pointed out that “the Japanese Embassy cannot issue work visas. If a person wants to work in Japan, he or she must obtain a guarantor company for the certificate of eligibility, legalized by the Ministry of Justice. Thus, the Embassy grants visas.” And he stressed: “Knowledge of the language is extremely important for those who wish to work or obtain a scholarship to study in Japan.”
He recommended the Hiroshima and Peace course at Hiroshima University, which runs from late July to August and is taught in English for two weeks and costs $100.
Finally, the Japanese magistrate suggested study books and documentaries such as Nagasaki: The Chronicles Destroyed by MacArthur by George Weller; The Bells of Nagasaki by Takashi Nagai; Children of Hiroshima; TheMushrom Club and fundamentally, the film Black rain Based on the novel by Ibushi Masuji. “Books, movies, or a work of art sometimes change a person’s destiny.”, emphasized.
The importance of addressing these issues in a multidisciplinary approach is of interest for the reconstruction of the social fabric.
In addition to the participation of the Consul of the Embassy of Japan, the event was attended by a large group of specialists, such as María Alejandra Seno Diaz (Suki Diaz), costume designer, photographer and art director in film, fashion and advertising; also participating were architect Adriana Lepere, biologist Rodrigo Reinoso from the Empedrado Municipality (Maule region, Chile); Irene Isabel Cafiero, opera singer and professor and graduate in History; Raúl Alejandro Jalil, Governor of Catamarca; Emanuel González, Marketing Director of the Secretariat of Social Economy – Ministry of Social Development of Entre Ríos, Argentina; Víctor M. Hernández P. Kimeltuchefe, advisor and consultant for Companies of Concepción, Chile; and Carlos Enrique Gutiérrez, born in Jujuy, Argentina, current researcher in Computational Neuroscience, MEXT scholarship recipient; Also present were professors Paula Rey Silva and Mónica Mazas, as well as Mimi Nohara Yoshi Yoshi and Noelia Avila Chica, both from Origami Nikkei. All of them gave outstanding performances.
This was the first virtual meeting organized from Argentina to disseminate different initiatives that work for peace based on culture, at a complicated moment in the world, highly questioned by the coronavirus pandemic and with a crisis of multilateralism. For this reason, the event turned out to be an example of Japan's tireless efforts in seeking to establish ties for a culture of peace.
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