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Event: JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteers 60th Anniversary of Dispatch to Laos
Date: Thursday, October 16, 2025, 13:30-16:25
Location: Crown Plaza Hotel (Vientiane)
Main Participants
In addition to 49 members of the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) currently deployed in Laos, a total of 210 people attended, including Minister of Foreign Affairs Thongsavan Pomviharn, Minister of Finance Santipharp Pomviharn, and other relevant ministries and implementing agencies from the Lao government, Japanese Ambassador to Laos Tsutomu Koizumi, JICA President Akihiko Tanaka, and Norio Onishi, one of the first five members of the Laos contingent. Mr. Tsutomu Koizumi, Japanese Ambassador to Laos, Mr. Akihiko Tanaka, President of JICA, and Mr. Norio Onishi, one of the first five Laotian contingents.
Background and Objectives
The JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteers program began in 1965 and celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2025. Laos was one of the first countries where the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) was dispatched, and a total of about 1,110 JOCV members have been dispatched to Laos so far. This ceremony was held to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the dispatch of JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteers to Laos, with the theme of “Linking, Connecting, and Spinning” decided by the dispatched members, aiming to deepen friendly relations between Japan and Laos and to further develop the Cooperation Volunteer Program.
Contents
Before the ceremony began, a video commemorating the 60th anniversary of the deployment of the Lao Overseas Cooperation Volunteers was shown, along with a congratulatory video message sent by violinist Chisako Takashima, the goodwill ambassador for the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Laos.
During the first part of the ceremony, Foreign Minister Thongsawan and Finance Minister Santipharp praised the activities of the JOCV for their indispensable role in knowledge and technology transfer and exchange, and especially for their contributions to the rural communities.
(Foreign Minister Thongsawan giving a speech)
(Finance Minister Santipaap giving a speech)
In addition, Mr. Tsutomu Koizumi, Ambassador of Japan to the Lao PDR, spoke of the 60th year as the year of “kanreki,” or “60th birthday,” and encouraged the participants to continue their efforts to emphasize “people-to-people connections” with a sense of fresh start, as the Chinese zodiac comes full circle and returns to the calendar of the year of birth.
JICA President Akihiko Tanaka noted that the cooperative members’ activities rooted in the local communities have led to the fostering of trust between the two countries and that he would work for the further development of the cooperative to solve issues in Japan and the world, and expressed his gratitude for the understanding and support of the Laotian government and the Laotian people for the cooperative program. He expressed his gratitude for the understanding and support of the Laotian government and Laotian people for the Japan- Laos Cooperation Volunteer Program.
(Ambassador of Japan to the Lao PDR, H.E. Koizumi, giving a speech)
(President Tanaka giving a speech)
Mr. Norio Onishi, who worked at the Sarakham Rice Experiment Station in Laos as the first cooperative member, introduced his experience of overcoming many hardships with the warm support of the Laotian people to teach and spread the Japanese style rice cultivation techniques. He expressed his congratulations and admiration for the development of Laos, saying that he was deeply moved to hear that the technology has spread throughout the country and led to an increase in rice harvest.
(Mr. Norio Onishi, who was sent to Laos as a first-generation cooperative worker, gives a speech.)
Afterwards, two corps members currently working in Laos gave speeches in Lao language. Mr. Ruka Okada, who works at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Udomxay Province, talked about his efforts to improve product design and expand sales channels to pass on traditional Laotian crafts. Junpei Kuno, who is working at a children’s cultural center in Luang Prabang Province, introduced his efforts to support instruction of traditional Lao dance and musical instruments and to provide opportunities for exchange with Japan in order to pass on traditional Lao culture and to educate children.
(Mr. Okada giving a speech)
(Mr. Kuno giving a speech)
The second part of the ceremony featured a judo demonstration by Tomoki Kikuchi, a member of the Lao Judo Federation who teaches and promotes judo, and performances of yosakoi and nanjung soran by volunteer cooperative members and Laotians.
(A scene from a judo performance)
(A scene from a yosakoi performance)
At the end of the ceremony, Mr. Tomoaki Kato, a former JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteer who served in Laos and is the president of the Lao OV Association*, and Mr. Yasuhiro Kawaguchi, a member who is working for the Water Supply Corporation of Champasak Province, served as the closing remarks. Mr. Kato reflected on the history of the Lao OV, which has been built up by approximately 1,110 OV members through the theme of the 60th anniversary of the Lao OV: “Connect, Connect, Spin”, and expressed his wish to further connect that history into the future. Mr. Kawaguchi expressed his gratitude for the warm support of the Laotian people to the Japan-Japan Cooperation Volunteer Corps and pledged to continue to work hard to connect Laos and Japan.
(OV President Kato giving a speech)
(Member Kawaguchi giving a speech)
What is the OV Association?
The JICA Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers Association (JOCVA) was formed by JICA’s overseas cooperation volunteers who have returned to their home countries and are engaged in various activities such as education for international understanding, local revitalization, support for foreign residents in Japan, awareness raising for JICA’s overseas cooperation volunteers projects, and support for recovery and reconstruction after natural disasters, in order to return valuable experiences and various insights gained in developing countries to Japanese society. We are also involved in various activities such as support for foreigners living in Japan, awareness of JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteers projects, and support for recovery and reconstruction in the event of natural disasters. There are various OV associations by country, prefecture, and field.
OB/OG Association | JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteers
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