It almost felt like being in Japan when I "entered" the virtual room that had been prepared for the first Japan Alumni Conference (JAC): a "Japanese" conference room with tatami mats and a red podium as a stage, and for the "informal get-together" after the conference we went one floor up (!) to a Japanese rock garden with a lake and red umbrellas under which one could normally have sipped Japanese tea on small podiums and just feel comfortable. "Normally" because, unfortunately, this conference could only take place online due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Japan Alumni Conference was organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (MOFA) and the Japan Association for Promotion of Internationalization (JAPI) on March 24-25, 2021. Currently, there are 216 Japan-related alumni organizations in 115 countries around the world – the goal of the conference was to connect "Japan alumni" worldwide who continue to be committed to friendly relations with Japan back in their home countries, and to launch a "global network" among them. I myself have studied at Mie University in Tsu as an exchange student for one year from 1999, but I probably had the honor of representing Germany at this conference more because I am active as Country Representative of the German JETAA Chapter, i.e. the alumni of the German chapter of alumni of the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme (JET Programme), which naturally includes a significant number of former "Japan alumni".
Besides the exchange with other alumni representatives from more than 40 countries (on "my day" 27 countries were invited, on the second day 16 – due to time zones unfortunately not all of us could meet at the same time) and the presentations of five alumni organizations each, a video message from Prime Minister Yoshihide SUGA was presented, which you can watch in the Japanese original by clicking on the picture on YouTube. But there was also another surprise guest waiting for the participants: When we sat down for "virtual tea drinking" under the red umbrellas, former Prime Minister Shinzō ABE paid a visit to each table and chatted with the respective people present.
Video message from Prime Minister Yoshihide SUGA
Even though I hope that analog meetings with direct interpersonal exchange will soon be possible again: I am very grateful to MOFA and JAPI that they have held an event – especially in these times of "isolation" in home office – at which one could not only simply meet, but also get to know completely new "like-minded people", and this was actually possible THANKS to virtual reality with people worldwide!
An official article in Japanese with some pictures can be found HERE, also a part of the Facebook group is open to the public HERE.
Text by Sven TRASCHEWSKI
Sven TRASCHEWSKI received his Master’s degree in Japanese and Chinese studies in 2006. He then worked as a Coordinator for International Relations (CIR) in the International Relations Department of the City of Sapporo in the framework of the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programmme (JET Programme) for 4 years, before joining the Japanese-German Center Berlin (JDZB) in 2012 as a Project Manager for Exchange Programs (German-Japanese Young Leaders Forum) and Conferences.