Mr. Hiroshi Tamon, lawyer and member of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), attended the 18th Session of the Conference of States Parties to CRPD and side events held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, USA, from June 9 to June 12, 2025.
In Japan, sign language was once called te-mane, literally translated as “hand imitation.” This term originated from saru-mane, or “monkey imitation,” a derogatory phrase used to describe an awkward imitation. Sign language was not considered a proper language. It was looked down upon as an inferior form of communication. Our ancestors could not use sign language publicly. They would sign secretly, only in private. Deaf schools, which they attended, forbade students from using signs. If spotted, teachers would hit them as punishment. That used to be the norm.
Now, a new law, the “Act on Promotion of Measures Concerning Sign Language”, has been unanimously approved and enacted without a single opposition. As we witnessed this historic moment, we were overwhelmed with emotion, thinking of our predecessors. They have worked hard to protect sign language and to have it recognized as a language. They have dedicated themselves to raising awareness and promoting their language.
In preparation for Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics, Japanese Federation of the Deaf held an International Sign interpretation training workshop from June 28th (Sat) to 30th (Mon) with International Sign interpreters(deaf) and Japanese Sign Language interpreters(hearing) who are working with together. The lecturers were WASLI President Dr. Christopher Stone(UK), WASLI former President Dr. Debra Russel(Canada), WASLI Director Mr. Arunas Brazinskas (Lithuania) , and WASLI former Director Mr. Nigel Howard (Canada).
This training workshop was held as a continuation from last year, with the aim of improving the skills of International Sign interpreters (deaf) and Japanese Sign Language interpreters (hearing) in co-interpretation at TOKYO Deaflympics in November 2025.
There was a lot to learn during this workshop, which included interpreting training for each sport, the demand control schema, and ethics as an interpreter. On the third day, there were some moments where the participants learned about the rigors of interpreting, but there were also some laughs, and the content was consistently serious, and the participants were able to share the anxiety and joy of interpreting during the Games.
In preparation for TOKYO 2025 Deaflympics, Japanese Federation of the Deaf (JFD) conducted a collaborative workshop from June to November this year to train the collaboration between International Sign interpreters (Deaf) and Japanese Sign Language interpreters (Hearing). The workshop, incorporating the concept of “co-interpretation”, marked a significant first to Japan in the field of sign language interpretation.
To facilitate this workshop, we invited Mr. Nigel Howard from Canada in July and August, and Mr. Arunas Brazinskas from Lithuania, Ms. Laura Lesmana Wijaya from Indonesia, and Ms. Noppawan Chainarong from Thailand in October.
This collaborative workshop provided an invaluable learning experience for deaf participants and hearing participants. We are sure that the concept and skills to work together as co-interpreters will become a sustainable knowledge extending beyond TOKYO 2025 Deaflympics.
On Tuesday, October 15, 2024, a lecture on deaf interpreting activities was co-hosted by International Relations Committee and Information Access and Communication Committee of Japanese Federation of the Deaf.
Mr. Arnas Brajinskas from Lithuania, a leading expert in “Sign Language interpreting,” delivered a lecture on “The history of the deaf movement and sign language interpreting in Lithuania”. A total of 230 people participated in his lecture, both online and in person.
Mr. Brajinskas emphasized the importance of establish training program for deaf interpreters and fostering the collaboration between deaf and hearing interpreters to enhance the quality of interpreting service. For more details of the lecture, please refer to https://www.jfd.or.jp/2024/09/12/pid27599 .)
On September 9 and 10, 2022, the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD), the governing body of international deaf sports and organizer of the Deaflympic Games, had its 49th Congress in Vienna, Austria. The Congress elected Mr. Ádám Kósa for the new President.
To strengthen the relationship between the Japanese Federation of the Deaf (JFD) and the ICSD, as well as to discover and develop human resources who will be responsible for international activities in deaf sports and future ICSD office bearers, we invited Mr. Ádám Kósa to Japan from Sunday, November 13 through Thursday, November 17, 2022.
Taking advantage of his visit to Japan, he also paid courtesy visits to Ms. Yuriko Koike, the Governor of Tokyo, Ms. Keiko Nagaoka, the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and other relevant ministries and agencies in preparation for the 2025 Summer Deaflympics to be held in Tokyo.
Please view the following page for information on the earthquake, and how you can provide support. Thank you!
You can watch the online event live on this page.
Program: (Only Japanese Sign Language)
Distribution of YouTube: Available from UTC 05:00 on September 23, 2023. The event will start at UTC 06:00 on September 23, 2023.
Tokyo was officially selected as the host city of the 2025 Deaflympics at the Congress of the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD) held in Austria (Vienna) on 9 and 10 September 2022.
Upon the decision, Mr. Fujisaburo Ishino, President of the Japanese Federation of the Deaf, and Mr. Yosuke Ota, President of the Japan Deaf Sports Federation, will issue the following comments.
日本語版はこちらへ (to Japanese version)
(International Sign Version)
The invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, which began on February 24, 2022, is a violation of the UN Charter that seriously threatens peace, order and life in the international community and in Ukraine, and is inhumane and not permissible. We, the Japanese Federation of the Deaf (JFD) strongly hope that the citizens of both Ukraine and the Russian Federation will be able to regain their peaceful lives as soon as possible.
