In recent years, many Nikkei leaders have expressed fatigue at the COPANI conference. Many point out the crammed lectures and the endless parade of subcommittees, and would like to see more time and distinctive presentations, not just content. Sometimes it may be necessary to take up relevant cases from other countries on important issues facing the host country, or to have the opportunity to hear the opinions of experts. The keynote speaker does not have to be a Nikkei person, and it would be good to narrow down the topic and have a discussion with people of various generations.
Many tournaments have a youth section, which provides an opportunity for young people to exchange ideas. However, the results of the tournament are halved if the workshop is only for young people. It is precisely in these places that veteran leaders from each country should participate, talk together, and sometimes get advice, and have a frank discussion across generations. Young people are surely looking for this, but they are also hesitant, and if the approach is wrong, there is a risk that differences of opinion will deepen and an exclusive relationship will result, so care must be taken.
At the Lima conference, I participated in a youth game-style workshop. There were several participants of various generations, including myself. Young people of the digital generation tend to want quick and clear answers. I can't say that this is necessarily wrong, but there are many things that our generation cannot understand. By participating in this workshop, I was able to get a glimpse of how young people view the current Japanese community and how they want to be involved with the local community. I also felt that it would be beneficial for young people if our generation could tell them not only success stories but also failure stories. I think that this is also a complementary role for veteran leaders. It is difficult for the younger generation to hear failure stories from their seniors, so such a relaxed setting is valuable.
Also, looking at past COPANIs, they have all tended to be held in luxurious hotels. However, it is not necessary for all sessions and events to be held in such first-class hotels. Subcommittees and lectures can be held adequately in facilities owned by Japanese organizations, local schools, or local government facilities. It is important to make the conference more accessible to the next generation of young people by working to reduce costs.
In addition, it is also important to have the opportunity to taste the local food, visit museums related to the Japanese community, interact with the first generation, and talk with local leaders. This is also one of the great pleasures of COPANI.
What will next year's COPANI be like in Paraguay? In Paraguay, there is the only pre-war settlement, La Colmena, which was established in 1936, 130 km from the capital, Asuncion. There are six other post-war settlements in Paraguay, one of which is the Yguazu settlement, which is often featured on Japanese television1. Some of them have been celebrating their 60th anniversary for the past few years2 . There are also Japanese people in urban areas such as Este and Encarnación.
The Japanese community in Paraguay has also had two ambassadors to Japan. One is Taoka Isao, a leading figure in the La Paz settlement who also served as mayor of the administrative district for many years, and the other is Toyotoshi Naoyuki, a businessman. What these two men have in common is that they were born in Japan. Despite this, the Paraguayan government appointed them both as ambassadors to Japan3 . Ambassador Taoka gave a speech at the Joint Research Group of the Nanzan University Area Studies Center, of which I was also a member at the time, where he said, "As an ambassador, I have pledged to serve as a bridge between the two countries throughout my life, with two homelands, and I can give back by being a bridge between Japan, which raised me for 14 years, and Paraguay, which accepted me as an immigrant for 47 years." 4
Many JICA youth cooperation volunteers and Japanese community volunteers have been dispatched to Paraguay to date. Many of them cherish their memories of their postings even after returning to Japan, and participate in and support the Paraguay Festival, which is held every year in Tokyo's Hikarigaoka Park.
Paraguayans have such strong feelings for Japan that it is said there is no other country that is as pro-Japanese as Paraguay. Although Japanese people only make up 0.1% (about 7,000 people) of the country's population of 7 million, their contribution to the country's society is very high. However, agriculture and livestock farming, which must develop markets overseas, and other industries have always faced tough challenges because the country is sandwiched between two large countries, Brazil and Argentina. "Japanese immigrants supporting Paraguay's development," published by Kitanaka, former director of the JICA office, and Professor Emeritus Hosono, known as an expert on Latin America, describes the contributions that the Japanese community has made to Paraguay's agriculture and food processing industries, including the difficulties faced by immigrants in the early and postwar periods, their struggles to get soybean production on track, their efforts in the processing industry of agricultural and livestock products derived from soybeans, current sesame production and exports to Japan, and cooperation between Japanese engineers and immigrants, as well as the ongoing challenges they face5 . It is a very compact book, but it is packed with information that second and third generation Japanese-Americans today should know about, and is packed with the efforts and achievements of the past.
Given the characteristics and history of these communities, I would like to hear from the Japanese community at COPANI in 2021 about how they will tackle these challenges, including their vision. To achieve this, I believe that exchanges between experts are also important. I hope that the conference will be one of exchange and friendship, collaboration and cooperation, and mutual discovery and respect, rather than one packed presentation and lecture after another like an academic conference. After the conference, it might be interesting to set up an option to visit the Iguazu settlement, which is famous for its no-till cultivation, and plan exchanges and discussions with local Japanese leaders in the settlement. The settlement has become quite prosperous through grains, agriculture, and industry, but there are many challenges for the future. COPANI is a rare opportunity to exchange opinions with seniors from other countries. With this in mind, I hope that the conference will be a wonderful one.
Notes:
1. Map of settlements and urban areas where Japanese people live, JICA Paraguay office website: Overview of settlements in Paraguay .
The Iguazu colony is not only home to large-scale soybean farms, but also grows other grains, and has flour mills and construction material factories. In recent years, tourism resource development around Iguazu has seen the opening of Japanese-run hotels such as Pikypo Square and Asahi Resort . The colony also hosts the Yguazu Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Expo every August. The city of Este, 40km from the Iguazu colony, is on the border between Argentina and Brazil.
2. A ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of Paraguayan immigration to Japan was held in September 2018. Princess Mako visited the area on behalf of the Imperial Family, and also visited the settlement and World Heritage sites.
" Impressions of Princess Mako after her visit to Paraguay " (Imperial Household Agency)
Recorded video of Princess Mako's visit: " Her Imperial Highness Princess Mako - Visit to Paraguay "
Prime Minister Abe attended the ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the establishment of friendly relations between the two countries in December 2018, becoming the first Japanese prime minister to visit Paraguay.
" Contributions and Interviews: Written interview with Prime Minister Abe by ABC Newspaper (Paraguay) " (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
3. Ambassador Taoka served as the ambassador to Japan from 2004 to 2009, and Ambassador Toyotoshi served from 2009 to 2018. Both naturalized in order to obtain Paraguayan citizenship in advance, which requires Senate confirmation.
Interview with Ambassador Taoka (Discover Nikkei)
" Paraguay = New Ambassador to Japan: Toyotoshi Naoyuki = Second consecutive first generation Ambassador to take up the post " (Nikkei Shimbun)
4. Ambassador Taoka's lecture and social gathering took place on November 17, 2007 at the Nagoya campus of Nanzan University. A transcript of the lecture was published in March 2009 (Asaka Yukie, ed., "Aspects of Multicultural Coexistence in the Global Era," Korosha).
5. Masato Kitanaka, Kazuo Fujishiro, Akio Hosono, and Keisuke Ito, "Japanese immigrants supporting Paraguay's development: their achievements in becoming the fourth largest soybean exporter in the world and their new efforts to diversify industries," Saeki Publishing, 2019.
References:
Yukie Asaka, "Chapter 5: Pan-American Japanese Association," Japan's Multicultural Coexistence Policy in the Global Era: Aiming for Cooperation with Japanese Communities in North and South America, Akashi Shoten, 2013
EMI KASAMATSU, History of the Panamerican Nikkei Association - Presence and migration of Japanese people into the United States, APN/Servilibro, 2005
Interview with Emi Kasamatsu (Discover Nikkei)
Japanese immigration to Paraguay - Memorial to 75 years of history 1936-2011 ("Journal of 75 years of Japanese immigration to Paraguay", a commemorative book in both languages, published in 2011).
Alberto Matsumoto, Discover Nikkei Column: " Japanese in South America, Latino Japanese in Japan "
© 2020 Alberto J. Matsumoto
