Press Releases
Courtesy Call on Parliamentary Vice-Minister SHIMADA by participants of “JENESYS ASEAN-Japan Sports (Football) x SDGs Exchange”
October 28, 2025
On October 28, Mr. SHIMADA Tomoaki, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, received a courtesy call from a delegate of about 80 high school students from ASEAN countries, who are participating in the “JENESYS ASEAN-Japan Sports (Football) x SDGs Exchange”. The overview of the courtesy call is as follows:
- At the outset, Parliamentary Vice-Minister SHIMADA welcomed the delegation to Japan, encouraging them to deepen their understanding of SDG initiatives through the globally popular sport of football, experience Japan from various aspects, and create many enjoyable memories with the people they meet through this program. Parliamentary Vice-Minister SHIMADA also stated that ASEAN and Japan have forged close cooperation for over 50 years towards peace, stability, development, and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region. Parliamentary Vice-Minister SHIMADA expressed his hope that the participants in this program would play an active role as bridges between Japan and their respective countries.
- On behalf of the delegation, a student from Malaysia, the current ASEAN Chair country, expressed gratitude for the opportunity to participate in the JENESYS program and visit Japan together with fellow ASEAN members, and shared anticipation for experiencing Japan's initiatives to advance the SDGs through football.
- At the end of the courtesy call, Mr. SHIMADA, guests and the delegation took photos together to commemorate the program.