message

Foundation for the Welfare and Education of the Asian People

Message

1. A Message from the President

President, Foundation for the Welfare and Education of the Asian People
Tamisuke Watanuki

My name is Tamisuke Watanuki, and I am the President of the Foundation for the Welfare and Education of the Asian People (FWEAP).

It is forty years since the Foundation was established on December 12, 1969, and almost thirty years since the Refugee Assistance Headquarters commenced activities within this Foundation on November 2, 1979.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other national and regional organizations as well as many other people for their support and efforts that have allowed us to expand our activities during this time.

This Foundation is operated with the objectives of providing necessary and appropriate assistance and cooperation for orphans, mothers and children, refugees and others in need in Vietnam and other Asian nations in order to contribute not only to the stabilization of people's livelihood in these countries, but also to strengthening friendly relations between Japan and the region.

Going back to the early days of the Foundation, its inception came about from comments made by former Speaker of the House of Representatives Takechiyo Matsuda upon his return from a trip through the Indo-China peninsula where he observed that there were many children in South Vietnam who had lost their parents in the war and who were living under appalling conditions. Believing that Japan had a role to play, it was determined that a Foundation would be established using contributions of a specified amount collected over a certain period from the annual allowances paid to Diet members.

Subsequently, a delegation including Mr. Seisuke Okuno and Mr. Yoshio Sakurauchi, plus other people involved in social welfare, visited South Vietnam in order to set a course for the Foundation's activities. It was concluded that a home should be built for orphans where they would be taught vocational skills that would allow them to support themselves.

With the cooperation of South Vietnam and the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Foundation built a vocational training center for Vietnamese orphans in Bien Hoa on the outskirts of Saigon and began activities there from September 1973.

Unfortunately, however, the government of South Vietnam collapsed during the second year of the Center's operations, and it appears that the facility was seized by North Vietnamese forces and used for wounded and ill soldiers.

In order to determine the response of the Foundation, then President, Mr. Seisuke Okuno, was accompanied by the Secretary-General of the Foundation on a fact-finding mission to Southeast Asia, which included visits to refugee camps in Thailand. From this it was determined that the activities of the Foundation would, for the time being, focus on providing assistance for welfare and education in Asian countries, and inviting personnel involved in welfare in Asian nations to Japan. Since the first group of six visitors from Thailand came to Japan in October 1978, activities under this invitation program have expanded to the point where we now have four groups of twenty welfare workers each year from any of seventeen countries for a total of eighty visitors per year.

Apart from social welfare, these visitors also have the opportunity to learn about Japanese politics, history, culture, traditions and other circumstances to gain a greater understanding of the character of Japan. The Foundation began from a conviction that there was something that Japan could do to stabilize if not the world then at least Asia, that this was a responsibility; but its resources can only stretch so far, and invitations are restricted to those involved in social welfare. We believe that benefits can be gained from even small projects by ensuring their longevity.

In February 1978, former Foundation President Mr. Seisuke Okuno made a statement to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the time, Mr. Sunao Sonoda, at the meeting of the Budget Committee of the House of Representatives, saying that Japan, as a fellow Asian nation, should extend a protecting hand to the refugees fleeing from the three Indo-Chinese nations. This proved to be the impetus for the Japanese government to establish the Indo-Chinese Refugee Resettlement Promotion Center, the operation of which was entrusted to this Foundation after going through the process of gaining Cabinet approval. This is how refugee programs came to be established in the Foundation in November 1979.

Since then, over 11,000 Indo-Chinese refugees have settled in Japan, each leading independent lives and earning recognition in local society and industry as reliable people.

With the political situation having stabilized in Indo-China, Japan's intake of Indo-Chinese refugees concluded at the end of March, 2006. Measures were formulated in August 2002, however, to provide settlement assistance to refugees recognized by the Minister of Justice under the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees (Refugee Convention), so-called convention refugees, and this continues to the present.

The work of the Foundation includes implementing programs for the public good which strongly bind national interests with human rights. With renewed intent to direct even greater efforts into our activities, all the while gauging the proper role for the Foundation with a view to the changing international dynamics, I would ask for your redoubled guidance and encouragement.

2. Upon the 40th Anniversary of the Foundation for the Welfare and Education of the Asian People and the 30th Anniversary of the Refugee Assistance Headquarters

Director-General, Foreign Policy Bureau,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Koro Bessho

My sincere congratulations upon the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Foundation for the Welfare and Education of the Asian People and for the 30th anniversary of the Refugee Assistance Headquarters. I would also like to express my gratitude for, and pay tribute to, the enthusiastic approach of the Foundation in its continued efforts over the years to improving social welfare in the Asian region, and particularly in refugee resettlement projects.

The Foundation for the Welfare and Education of the Asian People come into being in 1969 when it first undertook the construction of a vocational training center for war orphans in Bien Hoa on the outskirts of Saigon. Having hosted the Olympics in Tokyo and then preparing for the World Expo in Osaka, Japan at the time was finally beginning to enjoy some prosperity, and started to look toward international society. Even at this time, FWEAP had already turned its attention to war-torn Vietnam and was providing aid to war orphans and mothers and children. This arguably shows a pre-empting of the needs of the time.

Following this, serious consideration was given to the role that Japan should fulfill internationally, particularly in the Asian region, given the mass exodus of people from Indo-China, resulting in the government commissioning the FWEAP in 1979 to implement assistance not just for refugees residing temporarily in Japan, but for those wishing to settle in the country, and the establishment of the Refugee Assistance Headquarters. Being entrusted with this mission was due to the FWEAP already having in place the basis for activities for improving social welfare in the Asian region.

Resettling people is a job easier said than done. Bringing people from different nations into Japanese society is not simply a matter of Japanese language education, but also requires a deeper understanding of lifestyle, culture and social customs. A stable vocation is also necessary for true independence. Neither are refugees all the same. Each must be resettled in a way that best suits each personﾕs individuality. Also important is gaining a greater understanding within Japanese society of the assistance provided to refugees. In addition to support projects such as Japanese language education, guidance for Japanese life and job referral services, the FWEAP has also created opportunities such as the Festival for Resettled Refugees in Japan where refugees can mix among themselves and with Japanese society, and has volunteer programs to promote understanding of refugee assistance. The continuous and detailed activities of the FWEAP over the past forty years have allowed more than 10,000 refugees from Indo-China and almost 500 convention refugees to find a new place to live and thrive in Japan.

The wonderful results of these activities were achieved through the dedicated and enthusiastic efforts of Honorary Chairman Mr. Seisuke Okuno, President Mr. Tamisuke Watanuki, the Foundation Directors, and each and every member of staff, and with the considerable understanding and support of the Foundation on all fronts from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other relevant bodies.

Even now, there are more than 31 million refugees and internally displaced people worldwide being forced to live under difficult circumstances due to regional conflict and ethnic fighting, with many people having no choice but to flee their homeland to seek asylum in another country. For Japan, which was the first Asian nation to reap the benefits of peace and prosperity, the refugee resettlement projects of the FWEAP are a concrete example of international cooperation which can be displayed with pride to international society. I firmly believe that the achievements and knowledge that the FWEAP has built up will be a vitally important asset in Japan taking on even greater responsibility in international society and will form the basis for future cooperation.

In addition to requesting your continued cooperation at the front line of Japanﾕs international cooperation, I also express my best wishes for the further activities and development of the FWEAP and all those involved.