People-to-People Exchange

The JENESYS U-17 Women's Football Memorial Cup, a project commemorating the 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation, was held from March 16 to March 21 at the Uruma Gushikawa Multipurpose Sports Ground ( inside of Uruma Gushikawa Athletic Park ) in Uruma City, Okinawa Prefecture. The outline of the event is as follows.

1. U-17 Women's football teams, a total of 213 players and officials, from 9 ASEAN Member States and Timor-Leste visited Okinawa Prefecture and had a football exchange. Heated friendly matches were played with a total of 12 teams, including the U-16 Japan Women's National Team and the U-17 Japanese women's team selected from Uruma City, Okinawa Prefecture.
2. After the friendly matches, a Football Exchange was held with former Nadeshiko Japan players, Ms. SAWA Homare and Ms. MIYAMA Aya as lecturers. The event became a great opportunity to deepen the friendship between the youths of Japan and ASEAN who participated in this program.
3. At the awards ceremony, Mr. NAKAMURA Masato, Mayor of Uruma City, gave a speech welcoming to Okinawa. Mr. MIYAGAWA Manabu, Ambassador in charge of OKINAWA affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs congratulated the commemorative event and expressed his hopes for future friendship between Japan and ASEAN through sports. Following that, Awards were presented to the Champion Team, MVP, and Fair Play Team.
4. In addition to the football exchange, the ASEAN youths experienced “Bingata”, a traditional dyed craft in Okinawa, and went to see “Manzamo” to deepen their understanding of Japanese and Okinawan culture and nature.

[Reference 1]

Implementing Organization: Japan International Cooperation Center (JICE)

Cooperating Organization: Japan Football Association (JFA)

[Reference 2]

JENESYS (Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths) is one of a Japan Friendship Ties Programs promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.

[Reference 3]

The implementation of this program is expected to further develop friendly exchanges between ASEAN and Japan on the occasion of the “Commemorating 50th year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation”.