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Quoted from
IHT-The Asahi Shimbun
September 13-14, 2003
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Is Japan in the 21st century changing from the regions?
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Report on "The
7th Challenged Japan Forum 2001 International Symposium in
Mie"
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The cast on the 2nd day sessions.
The 7th Challenged Japan Forum (CJF)2001 International Symposium
in Mie was held on November 1-2, 2001 at Hotel Shima Spain Mura
in Mie Prefecture. The CJF has been positively supporting the people
with disabilities (so-called challenged because of their challenging
tasks given by God) to promoting their job opportunities for their
independence with self respect. "!Cambiamos la socieda!" was the
catch phrase this time meaning "Let's make a change to our society!" in
Spanish. Positive signs and steps for changing themselves and reforming
their society are seen among the challenged and the government,
academic, and industrial leaders in the regions. Here is a brief
report on CJF in Mie.
(By Masahiko Nakawa, journalist. Photos by Tsutomu Murakawa) |
The CJF conviction moved Gov.Kitagawa |
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Faces of the CJF.
A debate among the reforming governors chaired by Nami Takenaka, so called "Namine" heated
over two hours.
Left to right: Nami Takenaka, Gov. Masayasu Kitagawa(Mie Pref.), Gov.Yoshiko
Shiotani(Kumamoto Pref.), Gov. Akiko Domoto(Chiba Pref.), and Gov. Hiroya
Masuda(Iwate Pref.) |
The CJF2001 site this time was decided by a strong request by
Gov. Kitagawa of Mie Prefecture. He stressed on the following at
the opening of the forum.
"Today the social structures believed absolute may collapse
unexpectedly in a blink. In social welfare, it has been promoted
with the idea of supporting underprivileged people with disabilities.
On the other hand, it has somehow strained the protection of human
rights and individual dignity. Ms. Nami Takenaka, chairperson and
the founder of Prop Station, a social welfare organization has
been proposing in those ten years to protect the equal opportunity
and human rights for the people with disabilities. They are the
new challenges to be carried out in the new society. I participated
in the CJF several times, and became anxious to invite the next
CJF to our Mie Prefecture, and wanted to host an epoch-making forum.
Today I am happy and honored to declare the opening of the CJF2001
in Mie ."
The session was followed by a keynote speech by Ms. Nami Takenaka.
She powerfully spoke with conviction which once moved Gov. Kitagawa
to host the forum here. Here are her points.
The challenged people like my daughter, born with serious disabilities
require full cares and big amount of money. When the country becomes
poor or the people are poor in their heart, it will become difficult
for those weak people to survive in such a society.
On the other hand, many challenged people are willing to work
and find a role to contribute in their community as independent
people, and many of them have potential abilities. However, the
Japanese society has been processing them as a batch of disabled
people requiring full protection and support. Their desire to be
independent with self respect and to contribute as members of their
community(as workers, consumers, taxpayers, and so on) has not
been taken into consideration.
In today's aging society with reducing birth rate, we are concerned
if we can bear the burden of securing their social and welfare
insurances.
Some potential growth of skills of the challenged are expected
by adopting IT based trainings. IT is an important key to survive
in the aging society. Practically we should increase more job opportunities
for the challenged to be given according to their skills. This
will lead them to live with self respect and contribute to their
community. |
Words by the challenged |
Nami Takenaka is the core of CJF, a unique nonpartisan
cooperative system of government, academic, industrial and private
sectors(including NPO ). The circle has been spreading over the
administrative and political leaders overseas as well as the
local and central governments.
The next keynote speaker was Ms. Donna Ann Welton, Director,
Nagoya American Center, and Consul, U.S. Consulate, Nagoya.
In Japan you have been trying to secure equal opportunity as
the result of their protective policies for the people with or
without disabilities, trying to make the fair result. In the
United States, the social structure has been built to secure
fair and equal opportunities to all people for working and independent
social life.
Ms. Welton introduced important information on policies and
social systems for the people with disabilities in the United
States including the equal employment opportunity issues for
our further study. In addition, she stated that over 2,500 innocent
people might have become the challenged suffering from the aftereffects
of fatal injuries caused by the terrorists attacks on September
11. "We may say that we are all challenged as we can no
longer enjoy our life as before." She concluded.
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Keynote speaker. Ms. Donna Ann Welton, Consul,
the U.S.Consulate, Nagoya, and Director, Nagoya
American Center chats with Mr. Toru Tanii, the
Executive Committee of CJF in Mie. Mr. Tanii is
dreaming of studying in the United States in the
near future.
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A new staff at Future System Consulting, Ms. Satowa
Ikeuchi in her presentation. Her speech was followed
by brief comments of Mr. Yasufumi Kanemaru, President
of Future System Consulting, and a senior staff conducted
her trainings and a colleague of Ms. Ikeuchi. |
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Ms. Rie Kubo(left), a picture book writer
just made her debut, appealed her strong wishes never
giving up her dreams while Mr. Ikutoshi Yoshida, a
digital artist always kept smiling with his profound
talks. |
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At a sales counter outside the conference hall Ms.
Rie Kubo's debut work books and other artworks and
panels of the challenged caught visitors eyes. |
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Mr. Kazuya Hosoda(left), in charge of
accessibility system at Microsoft, and Mr. Tadashi
Mori, translating manuals via telework at his home
in Nagasaki. They both stressed the important role
of close communication. |
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The challenged people from Asia studying
in Japan also participated in the forum. Ms. Wang from
China, and Ms. Cucu Saidah from Indonesia attracted
the audience in their fluent Japanese speeches and
their eagerness for studying. |
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The challenged people working for IT industries presented their
report in the next session. Ms. Satowa Ikeuchi(quadriplegics-working
quads)a challenged engineer of Future System Consulting Co., LTD(the
New Media introduced Future System Consulting Company as one of
top running IT firms in its last issue) introduced her own experience
of her first training when she was accepted by Future System Consulting.
She finished her presentation with the following comments. "I'm
not happy to be called "challenged" because I feel a
kind of pressure by this term that I really have to find something
for further challenging. I hope that there will be more challenged
people working so that it will become nothing particular for us
to work among the people without disabilities."
Ms. Rie Kubo( working quads), a picture book writer recently made
her debut, told that not only her creative works but her life style
itself has dramatically been changed by adopting PC and Internet
in her works.
Mr. Ikutoshi Yoshida( working quads), a digital artist spreading
his world of artistic expression impressed the audience by adding
the following words after his struggling and unsteady feeling for
the future by having disabilities. "You feel more challenging
spirit and creative powers by having something weak . Having a
kind of disability with you or not makes no difference in your
creative activities."
Mr. Tadashi Mori(lower legs plegia), a staff of Microsoft Co.,
LTD translating manuals at SOHO basis, and Mr. Kazuya Hosoda(totally
blind), also a staff of Microsoft in charge of accessibility system,
told the audience through their experiences that work is severe
irrespective of your disabilities. |
Challenges by governors |
The highlight of the CJF this year was the last
program, a debate by progressive governors titled "Japan in
the 21st century starts making changes from the regions." It
was first scheduled to have five governors including three lady
governors appealing to the public for the first time, namely Gov.
Fusae Ohta, Osaka Pref., Gov. Yoshiko Shiotani, Kumamoto Pref.,
Gov. Akiko Domoto, Chiba Pref., Gov. Hiroya Masuda, Iwate Pref.
and Gov. Masayasu Kitagawa, Mie Pref. However, the participants
were reduced to four governors as Ms. Fusae Ohta, Gov. of Osaka
Pref. canceled due to illness. It was still a unique and special
occasion that four governors joined a debate lasted over two hours
to discuss on the challenged, IT industries and the regional reforms.
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A session chaired by Mr. Makoto Naruke, (Former
President of Microsoft) four leaders from the central
government ministries supporting the CJF discussed
reforming of their policies on the challenged. Minister
Chikara Sakaguchi of Health, Labor and Welfare, and
Ms. Seiko Noda, a member of the House of Representative,
Joined the session via TV conference system from
Tokyo. |
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Mie Prefecture is promoting to supporting employment
for the challenged. Mr. Satoru Okamoto, a staff at
Information Procedures Dept., Regional Promotion Division
of Mie Prefecture, with his dyed brown hair is a unique
model representing a new generation. |
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There were many challenged people among the audience
listening to the performers earnestly. (From left)
Mr. Yasufumi Kanemaru, president of Future System
Consulting Co., Ms. Takenaka, Chair, Prop Station,
and Gov. Masayasu Kitagawa, Mie Prefecture. |
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Ms.Yoshiko Shiotani, Gov.of Kumamoto Pref.
It is highly expected
that the challenged people may get rid of barriers with prospective
use of IT technologies
as their
tools. Therefore, I have been inviting more challenged and advanced
age people to participate in IT programs and trainings. In Kumamoto
Prefecture we have established a NPO named "Next Kumamoto" and
started a telework to promoting employment opportunities for
the people with disabilities as a model project for fiscal 2002.
In 2002, an Abilympic(a nationwide competition games for the
people with disabilities) will be held in Kumamoto. It is important
for the challenged to be positive to appeal themselves in their
community. I would like to share their willingness and act together
to reforming themselves which will lead the community people
to understand the challenged people, then to change their society.
Ms.Akiko Domoto, Gov. of Chiba Pref.
I often ask my staff to
listen to the people concerned more carefully. Then, the staff
says "Let's call the person in
charge at the facility to comec" It is contrary. He
should show an attitude to visit the people concerned at the
facility and listen to their voices. Of course it is important
for the people at the facility to express their real voices.
Such actions from the regional community should be able to change
the system of the central government.
After listening to the voices of the challenged people today,
I have strongly felt that we have to amend the concept our facilities
that they are for the people unable to work, or the people should
not work there. In the IT society today it is possible to secure
useful information and get a self support while receiving cares.
I believe that it is one of our responsibilities to revise
the environment of the facility reflecting the need of the times.
Mr. Hiroya Masuda, Gov. of Iwate Pref.
We have welfare workshops at various places in Iwate Prefecture, and they were
just relying on the subsidies. Now, we are changing them to be independent.
To manufacture salable items, a networking and thorough marketing are inevitable.
IT is the best way to do them, of course. We are active to
adopt IT based network to make our regional community survive.
In the regional government we have actual sites where troubles
are seen sometimes. However, because of them we have advantages
over the central
government. Our
policies are appropriate and practical. We will try our best efforts
to improve our regional community. Mr. Masayasu Kitagawa, Gov. of Mie Pref.
Large volume and high
speed submarine optical fiber cables are linking Shima area
and overseas. An
IT based project named "Shima Cyberbase Project" has
started in hopes of promoting a world level information network base in
Mie Prefecture. Among our activities there is a program utilizing
IT technologies
to support employment promotion and securing self support for the people
with disabilities.
As a result of Tokyo's overconcentrated administrative and
business facilities there have been serious subsides in the regional
ground. The regional governments
having reforming mind shall collaborate to change our social systems from
the region. Instead of being careful not to make a mistake, a
positive attitude
to go ahead and correct any mistakes is more appropriate. A fair competitiveness
among the regional governments will definitely activate our community for
prospective social reform. |
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I felt some similarities between the
challenged people working in the IT industries and the reforming
governors changing their regions although they seem to live in
the different world. What is common among them may be the challenging
spirit. They really are the challenged. There is no difference
between them by gender, with or without disabilities, and whether
they are bureaucrats or private sectors.

The cast on the 1st day sessions.
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