The number of foreign residents living in Japan is increasing more and more every year.
However, facing the barriers of "lack of information" and "isolation" amidst differing languages, customs, social systems, laws, and cultural practices, many people experience challenges and anxieties throughout their daily lives in Japan.
On the other hand, for foreign residents, accessing administrative and social services, as well as information for everyday life, is not an easy task. Even when they have questions or concerns, they often struggle to find reliable sources for consultation, and the common case of interactions with Japanese residents remaining shallow still continues.
We provide various support activities to create opportunities for foreign residents to integrate smoothly into Japanese society and deepen mutual understanding with Japanese residents.

Our daily lives are already filled with multiculturalism and intercultural experiences.
Japan has wonderful native culture, and there are many other amazing cultures around the world as well. The meeting and melding of these remarkable cultures holds the potential to create new values that cannot be achieved by a single culture alone.
It can be challenging to be aware of one's own culture, but encountering someone from a different cultural background allows us to recognize our own, as well as understand the importance of appreciating the other's cultural upbringing. The ability to sensitively perceive culture in this way is undoubtedly an essential skill for the future.
We aim to build new values rich in creativity through the fusion of the "wisdom" originating from the different abilities, sensibilities, and ideas of people from diverse cultures.

Foreign residents are new members of Japanese society.
We sincerely hope that foreign residents will not remain isolated within their communities, but will instead integrate broadly and smoothly into society, becoming contributors to its richness, vitality, and creativity. We are committed to making this a reality by diligently taking small actions, one step at a time.

We have three guiding principles that shape our activities:

"Having lived in Japan" is the greatest qualification for volunteering, and the desire to "live alongside Japanese people" is the condition for becoming a member. We invite you to join us as a fellow member!

　Founded with that call, the Otonari-san Family Friend Program has rapidly expanded over the past three years, attracting far more participants than initially expected. As new relationships among participants have developed, a variety of activities that were not originally anticipated have also begun to emerge.

　At the same time, many new challenges have emerged. Over the past three years, issues created by humanity have come to the forefront, particularly the COVID-19 pandemic, wars and conflicts around the world, including in Ukraine, the escalation of food and energy crises, and the progression of global warming. We have had little time to celebrate the smooth development and achievements of our activities as we have begun to grapple with new intercultural exchange challenges, including the refugee crisis.

　By exchanging accurate information, we aim to foster enjoyable relationships that transcend national and cultural boundaries, whether in our neighborhoods or workplaces. This initial aspiration remains unchanged. However, to realize this goal, we need your cooperation and support more than ever, not only through direct participation in the programs we have called for in the past, but also by providing innovative and diverse approaches, talents, and ideas. In particular, financial support is an critical issue. We invite each of you to pursue the dream of "building a more tolerant world through small, joyful connections" in your own unique way!

Chairman Ishikawa Norihiko

May 2023

JII is an organization dedicated to achieving cultural synergy by leveraging diversity.
We aim not only to create a more livable society by supporting foreigners living in Japan from various perspectives, but also to foster wisdom for coexistence and to create new values that may not be recognized by a single culture.
We aim to share the philosophy and activities of JII with a wide audience, encouraging not only foreign communities, but also Japanese individuals who are interested in this issue, to participate, thereby fostering a space for deeper mutual intercultural understanding.

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