Category Archives: international activities

from 1 April 2009 Issue of Japanese Deaf News, JFD’s monthly newspaper:

A bilateral teleconference between the Deaf youth in Mongolia and Japan was conducted at the World Bank Tokyo Office Public Information Center (PIC Tokyo) on February 9, 2009, co-organized by PIC Tokyo, Japan NGO Network on Disabilities (JANNET) and the Nippon Foundation. Mr. Tomomitsu Miyahira, a Central Committee Member of the Youth Section of the Japanese Federation of the Deaf, participated in this teleconference as one of the participants representing Japan.

Through the videophone connecting the two countries, the participants conducted active discussions on the theme “Education and Society in Japan and Mongolia through the Eyes of the Youth”.

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from 15 April 2006 Issue of Japanese Deaf News, JFD’s monthly newspaper:

Feb. 14~16, 2006, UN ESCAP Convention Center, Bangkok, Thailand

Making Inputs from the Standpoint of the Deaf

Participants of ILO Expert Group Meeting (Front row, extreme left: Director Ogura of WFD RSA/P)

ILO (International Labour Organization) held a 3-day meeting on “Inclusion of People with Disabilities in Vocational Training” from February 14 to February 16, 2006 at the UN ESCAP Convention Center in Bangkok, Thailand.

Participants of the meeting were governmental officials and representatives of corporate employer organizations as well as representatives of persons with disabilities including Mr. Topong Kulkhanchit (DPI Asia-Pacific), representatives of blind organizations from Malaysia and Thailand, and Director Ogura of WFD RSA/P.

On both February 14th and 15th, a video conference was set up, connecting the Bangkok Workshop and the ILO headquarters in Geneva. Ms. Barbara Murray, ILO Senior Specialist on Disability participated in the discussion from Geneva, together with her colleagues.

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from February 2006 Issue of Japanese Deaf News, JFD’s monthly newspaper:

Gifts of TV Sets, DVD Players and School Supplies

Pres. Ando receives a present from students in return for his gift of TV and DVD sets, and
school supplies. (National School for the Deaf in Mandalay)

The Japanese Federation of the Deaf dispatched its President, Mr. Toyoki Ando, and members of the staff to 3 countries in Asia from November 25 to December 3, 2005. The delegation visited Myanmar and Cambodia and discussed future directions of assistance utilizing the Asian Deaf Friendship Fund (ADFF). In Thailand, they visited the Asia- Pacific Development Center on Disability (APCD) and the office of the National Association of the Deaf in Thailand (NADT) for exchanges of views.

Two Schools in Myanmar

President Ando and his staff entered Myanmar on November 25, 2005. They visited the Myanmar National School for the Deaf in Mandalay on the 26 and the 27. The School was established in 1987 with roughly 50 students. Now the school has 210 students, 140 commuting and 70 boarding. There are 24 teachers, of which 5 are Deaf graduates of the same school.

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from 15 January 2006 Issue of Japanese Deaf News, JFD’s monthly newspaper:

JICA’s Distant Communication Technology Enables Communication in Sign Language

Japanese Participants: (from left) Miyuki Nakagawa, Takuji Wada,
Mizuho Kajiwara, Hisako Hirai､Kaori Shimizu
(JICA Tokyo International Center, Dec.9, 2005)

A video conference connecting Japan and Uzbekistan via ISDN line was conducted successfully and deaf participants from the two countries enjoyed discussion in sign language. The video conference was made possible by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)’s distant technical cooperation project (JICA-Net). The conference was held on the evening of Dec.9, 2005 at JICA Tokyo International Center with 5 participants from each country.

Director Takeo Ogura of WFD Regional Secretariat in Asia/Pacific (RSA/P) facilitated the video conference. Mr. Yasushi Inaba, the Director of the Uzbek-Japanese Human Resource Development Center, gave an opening speech in which he said, “We offer a computer course for the Deaf at the Uzbek-Japanese Human Resource Development Center. The students have been requesting an opportunity to exchange opinions with Japanese Deaf people. I am glad that we could finally make it happen with the video conferencing system.” Participants at both venues welcomed the speech by waving their hands at the same time on the screen.

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from May 2004 Issue of Japanese Deaf News, JFD’s monthly newspaper:

DDP Assistant Programme Manager Mr. So Sereyvuth explaining the
situation of Cambodia to ADFF Committee member Mr. Ogura.

Representing the Japanese Federation of the Deaf, Asian Deaf Friendship Fund Committee members, Takeo Ogura and Yutaka Osugi, visited Cambodia from March 29 to April 1. The two were able to get firsthand information on the management and activities of the Cambodian Disabled People’s Organization (CDPO) as well as on the support offered by the Deaf Development Program (DDP) under Maryknoll, and to confirm that the purpose of DDP’s request for funding aid is to establish a facility for providing vocational training.

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from Nov. 15 2002 Issue of Japanese Deaf News, JFD’s monthly newspaper:

Amendments to the Proposed BIWAKO MILLENNIUM FRAMEWORK

Language and Communication Are Basic Human Rights

Opening of the High-level Intergovernmental Meeting to Conclude
the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons

The High-level Intergovernmental Meeting to Conclude the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 1993-2002 was held for 4 days, from October 25 to 28 in Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. The meeting was attended by government representatives of 24 UN member states in the Asian and Pacific Region, including Afghanistan, Australia, Japan, and 2 associate member states, the Cook Islands and Hong Kong, China. Also present at the meeting were representatives from such UN bodies and specialized agencies as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the International Labour Organization (ILO), as well as representatives from international NGOs such as the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD), World Blind Union (WBU), Disabled Peoples’ International (DPI), Rehabilitation International (RI), and Inclusion International (II). WFD was represented by Board Member Mr. Eiichi Takada, Director Takeo Ogura of WFD Regional Secretariat in Asia/Pacific (RSA/P), and Dr. Yutaka Osugi of the Japanese Federation of the Deaf. Trainees from different parts of the A/P region who are studying in Japan under the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)’s “Leadership Training of Asian and Oceanian Deaf Persons” also attended the meeting as observers.

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from Nov. 1 2002 Issue of Japanese Deaf News, JFD’s monthly newspaper:

Key Words of the Meeting: “Human Rights”

WFD RSA/P Director Takeo Ogura, making his opening address

The 14th WFD RSA/P Representatives Meeting, held on Oct. 17, was chaired by RSA/P Director Takeo Ogura. The Meeting opened with a welcome address by President Toyoki Ando of the Japanese Federation of the Deaf (JFD), presented in International Sign.

Introductions of the special guests attending the Meeting, including WFD President Liisa Kauppinen and WFD Board Members, were followed by introductions of representatives from member countries. Guests from three non-member countries, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Fiji, were invited to observe this year’s RSA/P Meeting. These guests were also introduced.

Dr. Yutaka Osugi, representing the Japanese Federation of the Deaf, explained the scheduled program. This explanation was followed by commemorative keynote speeches.

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