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Event: JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteers in Cambodia 60th Anniversary Celebration
Date: Monday, October 13, 2025
Place: Cambodia-Japan Human Resources Development Center (CJCC) Angkor-Kizuna Hall (Phnom Penh)
Main Participants
The guests of honor included Mr. Prak Sokhon, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and Mr. Atsushi Ueno, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan in Cambodia. 215 government officials, JOCV members and their counterparts on deployment, and former JOCV members living in Cambodia attended. JICA President Akihiko Tanaka, JOCV Director-General Otsuka, and officials from the Southeast Asia and Oceania Department, the JOCV Secretariat, and the Cambodia Office also took part.
Background and Objectives
The JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteers program began in 1966 and celebrated its 60th anniversary this fiscal year. Up to now, 840 JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteers have been dispatched to Cambodia (as of September 1, 2025). This ceremony was held to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the deployment of JOCV to Cambodia, and was held under the theme of “Never Stop Walking, Always Connecting” to express gratitude to those involved in the JOCV program in Japan and Cambodia, to further develop the continuation of the program, and to further build a relationship of trust between the two countries. The theme of the event was “Connecting with the people in Japan and Cambodia”.
Contents
In the first part of the ceremony, JICA Cambodia Office Director Kazumasa Sanai presided over the ceremony, which began with the singing of the national anthems of the two countries and a video introducing the activities of the corps members, followed by opening remarks, congratulatory speeches by guests, and an introduction of the corps members’ activities.
Mr. Prak Sokhon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Kingdom of Cambodia, said, “We are proud to be one of the first countries to send the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers. The early years of the JOCV have laid the foundation for a strong and enduring friendship between our two countries, a bond that has grown stronger and richer with each passing year. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers who have served and continue to serve Cambodia. Your dedication, professionalism, and sincere spirit of cooperation are irreplaceable treasures for our country.
Photo: Prak Sokhon, Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of Cambodia and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, delivers a speech.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Cambodia Atsushi Ueno stated that Japan and Cambodia are partners in confronting global challenges together, and that in terms of ODA, human resource development is important as support for the future, with JICA and JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteers leading the way in this area.
JICA President Akihiko Tanaka stated that the friendship between the two countries has been fostered through the past activities of the Cooperation Corps and that it has contributed to the building of national relations between Japan and Cambodia. He expressed his commitment to the further development of the Cooperation Corps to help solve issues in Japan and the world.
Photo: Ambassador Ueno giving a speech
Photo: Chancellor Tanaka giving a speech
In the second part of the ceremony, the members introduced their activities, with Miho Yanagi serving as the moderator. All the introductions were made in Khmer, and not only the members but also their counterparts who work with them on a daily basis appeared on stage, wowing the audience with their elaborate performances.
Photo: Introduction of corps members’ activities in which counterparts also participated
Closing remarks were delivered by Mr. Takuya Otsuka, Executive Director of JOCV. Touching on current issues facing the world and Japan, he emphasized the importance of JICA’s Overseas Cooperation Volunteers in this context, and concluded his remarks by pledging to inspire people in Cambodia and around the world by enhancing the value of their projects.
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