Press Conferences

Mr. Mizushima: I have two items at the top today.

Mr. Mizushima: First, on the Inscription of “Washoku, traditional dietary cultures of the Japanese.
On December 4th, it was decided at the 8th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage held in Baku, the Republic of Azerbaijan, that “Washoku, traditional dietary cultures of the Japanese, notably for the celebration of New Year” nominated by Japan would be inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Japan highly commends and truly welcomes the decision.
Japan expects that the inscription of Japan’s very own Washoku, typically seen during New Year celebrations, as a dietary culture associated with a social practice embodying the spirit of the Japanese people of “respect for nature,” will create a momentum for making the appeals of Washoku more widely known in the world.
Japan will continue its efforts to further communicate to the world Japan’s appealing aspects, including Washoku.

Mr. Mizushima: Second, on the Japan-ASEAN Student Conference , From December 7 to 16, about 150 students from 10 ASEAN member countries will visit Japan to participate in the “Japan-ASEAN Student Conference” that will be held in Tokyo as a part of the JENESYS 2.0 program.
Prior to participating in the Conference to be held from December 12 to 15, the delegation will see around Tokyo in national groups, and will subsequently be visiting in five groups, Shiga, Wakayama, Tottori, Hokkaido and Kagoshima Prefectures respectively. They will have opportunities to visit facilities relevant to the topics to be discussed at the Conference, experience traditional cultural activities and enjoy the appeal of the regions in a multifaceted way.
At the “Japan-ASEAN Student Conference”, students from Japan and ASEAN member countries will take part in a three-night, four-day discussion program on the common theme of “The Cooperative role of youth in ASEAN and Japan towards peace, stability, development and prosperity in Asia.”, during which five topics drawn from among the shared challenges of Japan and Asia will be taken up. The scheduled discussion topics are: “Education,” “Entrepreneurship,” “Environment and Corporate Social Contribution,” “Social Contribution Activities of Youth based on Volunteerism” and “Traditional Culture.”
Mrs. Akie Abe, First Lady of Japan, is scheduled to attend the Conference on December 13 and hold discussions with the students.
Through this program, it is expected to heighten interest in social contribution activities among young people in Japan and ASEAN member countries, as well as deepen mutual understanding promote friendships and nurture personal networks among youths in Japan and ASEAN member countries. Additionally, the young people from the ASEAN member countries are expected to actively share with others their experiences in Japan especially the strengths and attractions of Japan, via such channels as Social Networking Services (SNS).