FY2025

Building Peace with a Hiroshima and Nagasaki Peace Messenger: 80 Years After World War II

In the summer of 2025, Japan marked 80 years since the end of World War II. While the country has maintained peace throughout the postwar era, conflicts have continued to increase around the world. What can we do to contribute to peace? Taguchi Seishiro, a first-year student at Seijo High School in Tokyo and a member of the 28th generation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Peace Messengers — a youth delegation that advocates for the abolition of nuclear weapons and the realization of a peaceful world — sat down with Oi Ayako, Senior Director of the Office for Peacebuilding at JICA, to discuss this question and other issues.

Japan and Africa: Closer Than You Think / Hosting TICAD9

In August, the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development "TICAD 9," focusing on African development, will be held in Japan for the first time in six years. Although Japan and Africa may seem distant at first glance, they share many connections, particularly through imports of food and other materials, and have some important things in common. Ahead of TICAD 9, Cameroonian-born and Japan-raised manga artist Rene Hoshino and two staff members from JICA's Africa Department discussed the relationship between Africa and Japan.

Linking learning in Japan to recovery in homeland: Ukrainians' hopes supported by JICA

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) offers the "Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship" (JDS), which brings young government officials from developing countries to Japan. The aim is to nurture these individuals into leaders who will contribute to their home governments and serve as bridges between their countries and Japan after returning home. Under this program, two Ukrainian government officials have been studying in Tokyo since 2024. While saddened by the ongoing conflict in their homeland, they are focused on expanding their knowledge and networks to aid in their country's recovery. The two officials expressed their determination, stating they want to share their experience with their colleagues upon returning home and "give a decent future" to their children.