JICA President Akihiko Tanaka (center), Vice President Katsura Miyazaki (second right in the back row), and members of the selection committee with the winners
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) held an award ceremony for the JICA International Cooperation Award, which recognizes individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to global economic and social issues through outstanding international cooperation efforts, on Wednesday, January 21 at JICA Headquarters.
This year, three groups received awards: the “280-km Wheelchair March” that led to the enactment of the Costa Rican Law for the Independence of Persons with Disabilities; a medical tech project that was recommended by the WHO to save mothers and children in underpopulated areas in 17 countries and Japan; and the promotion of “mainstreaming disability” that has spread worldwide based on the group’s experiences in Okinawa and at the United Nations. The three groups symbolize “international cooperation today,” which goes beyond ideals to change society through concrete results.
■ “Circular Impact” to open up the future of Japan and the world
The common denominator of this year’s award winners is the process of “circulation” and “looping,” in which Japan and the world learn from each other, and the results refined through practice are utilized both in Japan and the rest of the world, These findings are now being applied to remote islands and other areas of the world. This knowledge is now being returned to other parts of Japan as a driving force to accelerate the resolution of issues in Japan, such as medical care for remote islands and other remote areas, and the support of local governments in Japan to enact ordinances for a symbiotic society.
At the beginning of the ceremony, JICA President Akihiko Tanaka praised the activities of the three recipients, saying that they had contributed to “creating a society where no one is left behind,” and to moving systems, protecting lives, and creating a system of harmonious coexistence. He also emphasized the significance of these challenges as “important actions that will lead to peace and stability in the world and in Japan,” and stated that international cooperation is also important for protecting Japan’s future in an age when global issues affect the lives of people in Japan as well.
Yoichi Mine, Chairman of the Selection Committee (Director of the Sadako Ogata Institute for Peace and Development Studies, JICA), also noted that it is extremely significant that the recipients of this year’s awards have contributed to the local manifestation of the results of their cooperation, as well as to the party-led institutional reform, international horizontal development, and “circulation” and “circulation” of the results with Japanese society, The committee highly evaluated the pioneering spirit of this year’s awardees and their ability to move society forward.
How have the three award-winning groups faced the challenges of developing countries and achieved transformational change at home and abroad? How their challenge to create a “society where no one is left behind” is paving the way for our future. Here is a summary of the speeches made at the ceremony.
■Introduction of Award Winners
1.[Steps toward establishing the system] Leaders who contributed to the passage of Costa Rica’s “Independence Act for Persons with Disabilities”.
Ms. Wendy Barrantes (Representative of Morpho, a center for independent living for people with disabilities)
He was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at the age of 2. During a JICA training program in Japan in 2009, he was exposed to Japanese people with disabilities living independently in the community with assistance, and decided to promote the concept in his home country. 2011, he founded the Center for Independent Living of People with Disabilities “Morpho”. He currently serves as the representative of the Network for Independent Living of Persons with Disabilities in 14 Latin American countries, promoting social transformation in which persons with disabilities are the “main actors”.
A 280-km march that moved public opinion:
In 2016, the group held a 280-km wheelchair march to appeal for institutionalization of public funding for the dispatch of caregivers. The broad dissemination of information through the media aroused public interest and formed a major trend toward the passage of the Law for the Promotion of Independence of Persons with Disabilities in the same year.
Wheelchair march (from Morpho Facebook)
International Evaluation and Return to Japan:
In 2023, it received the internationally prestigious “Zero Project Award. This case study, in which a philosophy that originated in Japan came to fruition in Costa Rica, serves as a model for Japanese municipalities to consider “making ordinances for a symbiotic society,” and also offers suggestions for Japan’s welfare policy.
Zero Project Awards (from Morpho Facebook)
Ms. Wendy Barrantes Speech Summary:
Our struggle is to live with dignity as human beings.”
Commenting on the award, Barrantes emphasized, “This award recognizes the existence and value of a historically marginalized group and proves that we are not patients waiting for treatment, but citizens with the power to improve our society. With the “Law for the Promotion of Independence of Persons with Disabilities,” Costa Rica abolished the guardianship system, guaranteeing that no one else has the power to limit an individual’s right to autonomy or the right to decide how to live. He reflected on his work, which has now spread throughout Latin America, defending the rights of more than 80 million people with disabilities to lead independent lives.
He added, “We will continue our efforts until inclusion becomes a matter of course, not a goal, and people with disabilities are recognized simply as human beings, not through their limitations. We will continue our efforts until people with disabilities are recognized as human beings, not through their limitations, but simply as human beings, because our struggle is not only for survival, but also for living with the fulfillment and respect that all human beings deserve,” he said.
WHO-recommended, Japan-originated technology contributes to maternal and child health around the world.
Mr. Takahiro Hara (Professor Emeritus, Kagawa University) / Ms. Yuko Ogata (CCO, Melody International Co., Ltd.)
Mr. Hara, who established the basic principles of the mobile fetal monitor (CTG), and Mr. Ogata, the flagship of medical IT. Hoping to relieve the anxiety of pregnant women living on remote islands and in remote areas, they developed the world’s first full wireless mobile fetal monitor, “iCTG,” which enables monitoring of the fetus from remote locations. She continues to work to bridge the “life gap” between Japan and the rest of the world.
Demonstrated reliability through WHO recommendations:
In 2022, it was selected as the first Japanese-made smart medical device to be recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). As one of only seven products selected from around the world, it is being introduced into the medical infrastructures of countries such as Bhutan, Thailand, and Africa and Latin America.
Operational status in Chiang Mai
Giving back to Japan: Bringing trust honed around the world to remote islands and depopulated areas in Japan
This system, which has been introduced and utilized in a wide variety of settings in 17 countries and recognized by WHO, is currently being deployed in a wide range of regions in Japan, including Kagawa, Hokkaido, Ishikawa, and Chiba. The system’s versatility, proven in the harsh environment of developing countries, supports the foundation of community healthcare for pregnant women wherever they are, even in Japanese municipalities suffering from a shortage of doctors.
iCTG
Mr. Takahiro Hara Speech Summary:
The SDGs and the International Contribution of Perinatal Medicine through Technology.
Mr. Hara touched on the current situation in which the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets include a significant reduction in maternal and neonatal mortality rates worldwide. He then noted that Japan’s perinatal care is world-class, and the country excels at using technology to efficiently reduce mortality rates. He mentioned the importance of Japan’s role in this area, saying that it is important to apply this know-how to developing countries.
Yuko Ogata Speech Summary:
The “i” in the palm of your hand opens up a future where you can safely give birth anywhere in the world.
Mr. Ogata then introduced “iCTG” as a concrete solution to fulfill “Japan’s role. iCTG is a portable medical device that measures fetal heart rate and labor pains of pregnant women. It can be used anywhere, including at home, in ambulances, and in midwifery hospitals, and data is shared in real time with remote hospitals and doctors via the cloud. He emphasized that iCTG will enable early detection of abnormalities and appropriate delivery management even in regions and developing countries where there is a shortage of obstetricians.
The “i” in “iCTG” is “love” in addition to “IoT (Internet of Things)” and “Innovation”,
He also said that “I (I)” means to make a difference. He also mentioned that “this challenge is already underway around the world,” and introduced his country’s success in establishing a nationwide medical network in cooperation with JICA in Bhutan, where there are only 15 obstetricians and gynecologists. He also mentioned the drastic decrease in the number of medical facilities in Japan that provide childbirth services, and expressed his vision and determination for the future, saying, “The environment surrounding the world is becoming increasingly severe, but I would like to use technology to transcend global barriers and create a future where babies can be born safely wherever they are born.
3.[Toward the realization of a symbiotic society] Pioneer in promoting “disability mainstreaming” at home and abroad
Mr. Yutaka Takamine (President, NPO Empowerment Okinawa)
From the starting point of his own life in a wheelchair at the age of 17, he has been spreading social transformation from Okinawa to the world with the philosophy of “independent living” for people with disabilities that he learned in Hawaii. For more than a quarter of a century, he has led policies for people with disabilities in Japan and abroad, combining his knowledge from his activities at the United Nations and as a JICA expert. He has been spreading the approach of utilizing the voices of people with disabilities as “agents of social change” from Okinawa to the rest of the country and around the world.
Support for institutional improvements that are underway around the world:
As a JICA expert since 2009, he continues to lead the curriculum to promote social participation of people with disabilities. His ongoing support through remote advising and field visits has produced a series of concrete results, including the opening of a center for independent living in Colombia in 2024 and the establishment of an inclusive education support committee in the Dominican Republic in 2025.
Visit to Andhra Pradesh, India
Contribution to the enactment of the Okinawa Prefecture “Symbiotic Society Ordinance:
He has also been involved in the enactment of the Okinawa Prefecture’s “Ordinance for a Coexisting Society” in 2014, and has presented a “Kannryu Model” that applies the knowledge of international cooperation to the design of Japanese institutions.
With people with disabilities in Timor-Leste
Yutaka Takamine Speech Summary:
My original experience in Okinawa gave me empathy in developing countries.”
In accepting the award, Mr. Takamine reflected on his own path, saying that he could never have imagined that he would become a leader in changing society after being confined to a hospital for fear of being injured. As a United Nations official, he established barrier-free standards in the Asia-Pacific region, and was deeply moved by the fact that his efforts at that time are now bearing fruit in the form of urban infrastructure in Thailand and other countries.
He also noted that the wave of fostering self-help groups and barrier-free accessibility that he led during his time at the United Nations has now taken root as a system throughout Asia, and that he was able to receive this award because he has given back to Okinawa his experience in international cooperation and has circulated the results both in Japan and abroad. He said emphatically, “I will continue to make every effort to promote the independence and social participation of people with disabilities, and to contribute to the realization of an inclusive society.
© Source JICA