Press Conferences

Foreign Press Secretary KITAMURA Toshihiro: I have an announcement at the outset, regarding an event hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).

MOFA has been actively organizing participatory programs designed to generate interest in diplomacy and international affairs among young people, or “youth,” who will lead the next generation.

As one such initiative, we hold an annual program for students called “Dialogue with Students: My Proposal” in which students and MOFA officials engage in dialogue. This year, the event is scheduled to be held at the MOFA headquarters on Tuesday, February 10, 2026. The theme for this year’s presentation category is “The Next Generation and Japan’s Diplomacy: Toward the Future I Envision in the Next Decade.”

As a new initiative for this year, we will hold a kick-off event for “Dialogue with Students” online on Thursday, October 9. The themes for this online event are “SDGs and Youth,” and “Security and Official Security Assistance (OSA).” The application deadline is Monday, October 6.

Furthermore, we are currently recruiting “Student Supporters” who will assist with pre-event publicity and on-site arrangements for the event next February. The application deadline is Friday, October 10.

The application deadline for participants in February’s “Dialogue with Students” is Friday, October 17, approximately one month from now.

We look forward to unique policy proposals originated in flexible thinking of students who will lead Japan in the future. We look forward to many applications from students.