Latest news with #NipponFoundation
21 hours ago
- Entertainment
Most Japanese Teens Almost Never Talk About World War II
The Nippon Foundation conducted a survey of 1,000 young people in Japan aged 17 to 19 in mid-June 2025, just ahead of the eightieth anniversary of the end of World War II, with the aim of finding out their views regarding the war. Among the respondents 95% said that they had learned about World War II. Two-thirds of the respondents said that 'school lessons' were memorable, while around a third mentioned 'a trip to a museum or memorial site.' When asked which books or films about the war left the strongest impression, over 40% mentioned the Studio Ghibli anime Grave of the Fireflies . The film is an adaptation of a short story by Nosaka Akiyuki depicting the harsh life of a brother and his younger sister who are orphaned during the war. The next most influential work related to the war, mentioned by 20% of the respondents, was Barefoot Gen , a manga by Nakazawa Keiji based on his experience as a survivor of the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima. Other influential works were Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl , Saitō Ren's children's book Zō no inai dōbutsuen (The Zoo Without Elephants), and the film The Pianist . Only around 30% of the respondents said that they had heard first-hand stories from someone who had experienced the war. The most common situations for hearing such stories were cases where speakers came to schools, to either speak in the classroom or take part in a school event, or occasions where students listened to speakers at a museum or memorial hall. Fewer than 30% of the respondents had heard a story directly from a grandparent or great-grandparent. The overwhelming majority of respondents, at over 70%, said that they have almost never discussed World War II with family or friends. The next most common response was the just over 10% who said they talked about the war around once a year. (Translated from Japanese. Banner photo: A scene from Grave of the Fireflies [left] and a film tie-in collection of short stories by Nosaka Akiyuki. © Jiji.)
02-08-2025
- General
Cleaning Up Aquaculture: Joint Project Takes on Plastic Waste from Oyster Farming in Hiroshima Bay
To reduce plastic waste in the Seto Inland Sea, the four prefectures of Hiroshima, Okayama, Ehime, and Kagawa launched the Setouchi Oceans X project in partnership with the Nippon Foundation in December 2020. Each year, an estimated 388 tons of waste is generated in the coastal waters of these prefectures. Public agencies collect about 302 tons of that. The Oceans X initiative aims to recover the remaining 86 tons while also establishing systems to prevent waste from being generated in the first place. On July 5 this year, a large-scale cleanup effort took place in the four prefectures. Around 1,000 participants, including fishery workers and local residents, volunteered to collect approximately 26 tons of waste along beaches and riverbanks. Cleanup efforts in Hiroshima (top); oversized floats that don't fit into trash bags. (Courtesy Nippon Foundation) At the cleanup site on the Arajiro Coast in Etajima, Hiroshima, large numbers of polystyrene floats, which are used for aquaculture rafts, were found washed ashore. Hiroshima Prefecture has set a goal of eliminating all new plastic waste flowing into the Seto Inland Sea by 2050. However, the floats, which make up nearly half the weight of all beach litter, pose a significant challenge. Hiroshima Bay is the top oyster-producing area in Japan, using over 300,000 floats, which is more than anywhere else in the country. Entire floats and degraded fragments frequently scatter and accumulate in hard-to-reach coastal cliffs, making recovery extremely difficult. Float waste washed ashore at Ujina Beach in Hiroshima (top); once broken down into microplastics, the impact on the ecosystem is severe. (© ) Prevention the First Step With limits to what human resources alone can achieve in cleanup efforts, the most effective approach is to prevent waste from entering the sea in the first place. With this in mind, Oceans X has developed improved floats and protective covers with enhanced durability. The two floats on the right are newly developed high-density models with protective black covers. The white one in the center is the float body that goes inside the cover. Between these is the standard model. In the front left is a discarded float found on the shore. (© ) Conventional floats often shrink under water pressure and slip out of the bands used to secure them to aquaculture rafts. The newly reinforced floats retain the same dimensions but are 1.2 times denser, making them more resistant to compression underwater. Meanwhile, the protective covers, which help prevent damage from ultraviolet rays and other wear, are three times more tear-resistant compared to standard lightweight products. Used together, these upgrades are expected to extend the floats' service life from the current average of three years to between five and eight years. A light buoy raft equipped with floats, visible above the water. The weight of oysters on aquaculture rafts causes floats to submerge and makes them more susceptible to compression. (© ) A new management system using radio frequency identification technology has also been introduced. By embedding metal tags into the floats, their information can be read instantly and simultaneously by a scanner. This enables identification of the owner, tracking of the source of discarded waste, and monitoring to prevent overuse or neglect of aging equipment. Scanning a float embedded with an IC tag using a specialized reader displays information on the device. (© ) Starting in July, a pilot project has been launched with the cooperation of oyster farmers in Hiroshima Prefecture. A total of 1,000 new floats will be gradually installed on 30 aquaculture rafts, with their durability and performance monitored. The goal is to move toward full implementation after a year. Some floats without protective covers were seen at the aquaculture site. (© ) On July 15, the media were invited to observe the installation of the new floats at an oyster farm in Hiroshima Bay. Yoneda Terutaka, the head of the Hiroshima Fishery Cooperative, commented, 'Unless we fishers change our mindset, consumers won't support us. We're committed to working our hardest to pass on the delicious oysters of the Seto Inland Sea to future generations.' Unno Mitsuyuki, executive director of the Nippon Foundation, also expressed his hopes: 'Marine debris is a global concern. We want this project to succeed so that it can be adopted in other regions facing similar issues.' Replacing old floats with new models. Each raft uses a little over 30 floats. (© ) Will this initiative succeed in tackling the severe problem of marine waste that pollutes the Seto Inland Sea? The hope is that this effort will serve as a model for aquaculture communities both in Japan and around the world. Yoneda Terutaka of the Hiroshima Fishery Cooperative (right) pledges to take on the mission of float waste reduction. (© ) (Originally written in Japanese. Banner photo: Oyster farmers replacing floats beneath their rafts. Photo taken on July 15 in Hiroshima. © .)
The Mainichi
16-07-2025
- Climate
- The Mainichi
With water accidents involving foreigners rising in Japan, what precautions are needed?
TOKYO -- As Japan is experiencing extreme heat, a spate of water accidents has been reported across the country, and many foreigners are recently getting caught in those incidents amid rising foreign worker and inbound tourist numbers. Local governments and other bodies are pursuing measures to prevent water accidents involving foreigners by taking differences in cultures and customs into account. 'Want to swim as no sea back home' In June, two Vietnamese men were swept away from Katakai Beach in the town of Kujukuri, Chiba Prefecture, while a Myanmarese man visiting a beach in Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture, for swimming drowned. According to a survey by the Nippon Foundation's Umi no Sonae Project, there were media reports on 229 water accidents involving 265 people between July 1 and Aug. 31, 2024, of which 172 people died. Roughly 10% of those who drowned were foreigners, with nearly half at rivers and around 40% at sea. Some of the accidents occurred at no-swimming zones where safety measures were not in place. In some cases, foreigners caught up in water accidents lacked understanding of rules along waterfront areas. This was, however, not the only cause. According to data released in 2019 by OECD, the ratio by country of people aged 15 and older who can swim on their own stood at 90% for Sweden, 60% for Japan, 40% for Vietnam and 20% for Nepal. While Scandinavian countries and the Netherlands reached 90%, with Sweden topping the list, the ratio for African and Asian countries was generally low. Among the countries that many foreign residents in Japan come from, the ratio of such people was in the 50% range for Thailand, followed by Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia in the 40% range, Myanmar and India in the 30% range, and China and Nepal in the 20% range. It is thought that the availability of school education and whether they have swimming pools and other facilities or a natural environment where people can become familiar with water affect the ratio. A 30-year-old Nepalese staff member at a cafe in Nagoya, who came to Japan in June, told the Mainichi Shimbun, "I have experience swimming in a river, but not everyone else does that." They added, with their eyes sparkling, "As there's no ocean in Nepal, I'd like to go swimming in the Japanese sea." For inexperienced bathers, swimming in unknown areas entails risks. In addition, there are geographical features and nature unique to Japan. River currents are complicated and could become rapid, unlike the slow flows on continents. In Gifu Prefecture, home to many river leisure spots, seven foreigners died in water accidents in 2024. In response, the prefectural government created flyers in six languages listing the features of Japanese rivers, such as "deep," "rapid" and "slippery," as well as points to keep in mind. This summer, the prefecture commissioned companies hiring foreigners, volunteers working for a multicultural inclusive society and leaders in disaster prevention efforts to disseminate those precautions. A representative at the prefectural government's diversity and inclusion promotion division commented, "To ensure that the content is communicated without fail, we asked those directly associated with foreigners to act as a bridge between us." 'Float and wait' So what points should inexperienced swimmers take note of for safety? Professor Hidetoshi Saitoh at Nagaoka University of Technology graduate school, who serves as a director of the Society of Water Rescue and Survival Research, pointed out, "It is essential to check the depths of rivers and seas before entering them." Among accidents involving foreigners, there are often cases where people drown in deep water after jumping into a river, deeming it highly transparent. At sea, people should be wary of the same location potentially getting deeper when waves come in. Saitoh also advises that those playing in rivers and the sea should make sure the water is below the knee. The professor emphasized that the most important action to protect your life is to "float and wait." In case people fall into the water or are about to be swept away, they should not try to swim, but rather wait for help while floating face-up. "It's OK even if you can't swim. It's actually better if you don't try to swim," Saitoh noted. This approach is widely taught at elementary schools and elsewhere, alongside swimming while wearing clothes, as part of safety education in Japan. Since 2011, the Society of Water Rescue and Survival Research has been teaching the approach of "float and wait" in Southeast Asian countries to let people protect themselves from a series of flood disasters. The organization has held classes in the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia and elsewhere, and has also taught at adult swimming schools. "If people who receive such an education increase, the number of fatal accidents will decline, even if they cannot swim," Saitoh said. "All we can do is to continue steady efforts." Education, culture and the natural environment vary greatly depending on countries. It is crucial to carefully communicate information about various risks to foreigners, without taking these things for granted because they are in Japan.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
An alarming disconnect: Global study by Back to Blue reveals urgent need for ocean literacy
A global study has recently revealed consistently low ocean literacy levels in 18–24-year-olds across 35 countries. 75% of young people are concerned about our ocean's health, yet 61% believe deforestation and other climate issues should be prioritised over ocean conservation. Young people have high expectations for governments, NGOs, and local communities but low expectations for businesses, highlighting a misunderstanding about who holds responsibility for ocean pollution. NICE, France, June 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- World Ocean Day serves as a vital reminder to protect our oceans. A global study by world-leading ocean health initiative of Economist Impact and The Nippon Foundation, Back to Blue, has recently uncovered a concerning disconnect between young peoples' recognition of the ocean's vital role in climate change, and the measures required to protect and restore it. A large majority of young people are concerned about the ocean's health and believe it can protect us from climate change, yet they place a higher priority on protecting forests, tackling air pollution and freshwater scarcity. Results from the 3,500 respondents in 35 countries found that 75% of 18-24 year olds are concerned about the state of ocean health. Yet, few acknowledge the jeopardy the ocean is in, nor the ways in which this can be prevented because despite concerns for the ocean, almost half (47%) of young people think the ocean is still healthy. The Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and The Philippines are among some of the top countries that believe this, when each is struggling with plastic pollution, coral reef degradation and habitat loss. It strongly indicates that young people do not fully fathom the dire conditions of our oceans. This is also evident in the fact that 50% of young people do not understand how the ocean impacts them and how they, in turn, impact the ocean. Furthermore, 61% prioritise other climate issues, such as deforestation, over ocean conservation. Notably, this perspective is shared by 88% of young people in Panama—a country bordered by both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, where the ocean plays a vital role in the economy. Peter Thomson, UN Ocean Envoy said: "It is surprising and alarming to see so many young people misjudge the ocean's health. This level of low ocean literacy risks hindering progress and funding for protecting our oceans. We must invest in educating young people about the importance of ocean health and how to safeguard it for the future." Strengthened ocean literacy can be argued as pivotal for fostering a deeper understanding of the ocean's multifaceted role, not only as a driver of local economic prosperity through industries like fisheries, tourism, and renewable energy but also as a critical buffer against climate change impacts. A lack of this foundational knowledge risks delaying urgent policymaking and sourcing of funding as weak citizen or stakeholder pressure to reverse damage, will slow progress, perpetuating a vicious cycle of ocean neglect. Peter added: "The ocean is one of the most overlooked and underfunded areas in global sustainability, yet its decline directly impacts how we live. We must remember that the ocean is silently dealing with sea level rise, soaring temperatures and acidity levels as well as irreversible threats to biodiversity because of human activity. The least we can do is understand it better and make it a priority to save." Limited comprehension of the oceans' endangered state was also accompanied by little demand amongst young people for significant action or accountability from ocean stakeholders. The study found that less than half (46%) of young people want government action that will ensure the oceans health, and only 17% want to see corporations and businesses take increased responsibility. The latter finding is increasingly concerning as the study also reveals that young people are significantly concerned about contaminating the ocean - chemical pollution (48%) and plastic pollution (50%) yet they do not know where responsibility lies. Tackling ocean pollution is no easy feat, but private sector accountability will be paramount to its success via increased responsibility for the lifecycle of plastic products and chemical leaks in the process of production. Emma McKinley, Ocean Literacy expert and Senior Research Fellow at Cardiff University said: "It's incredibly interesting to see that some young people recognise that the ocean can have a role in addressing the impacts of climate change and that damaging ocean health is detrimental to this; yet, this study suggests that not all young people recognise the need to demand more action from governments and the private sector to do more to prioritise ocean health." Emma added: "Given its roots in formal education, many ocean literacy initiatives are grounded in the importance of raising awareness and knowledge about ocean issues. Looking to the future, we must embrace diverse types of ocean knowledge and relationships to deliver ocean literacy as a societal outcome. If the ocean and the issues facing it were included more widely in education systems across the world, the more positive change we would see. Knowledge is one of our most powerful tools." Educators and policymakers have a unique opportunity to address the low levels of ocean literacy among young people. By incorporating ocean literacy into school curriculums—and with greater support from governments—they can equip the next generation with the knowledge and tools needed to protect our oceans and address the challenges they face. Notes to Editors About the surveyThe survey was created by Economist Impact and issued to 35 countries in September 2024. It was in the field for three weeks and acquired 3,500 responses from young people aged 18-24. Countries involved were: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Finland, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Puerto Rico, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, United Kingdom and Vietnam. Ocean literacy definitionOcean literacy is the understanding of the ocean's influence on us and our influence on the ocean. It encompasses the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to understand and communicate the ocean's essential role in our environment, climate, and everyday lives. It empowers individuals to make informed decisions and take responsible actions to protect the ocean and its resources. About Back to BlueBack to Blue is an initiative by Economist Impact and The Nippon Foundation tackles ocean challenges with evidence-based solutions. Addressing gaps in understanding plastic and chemical pollution and ocean acidification, it leverages both organizations' strengths in research and program development to drive progress in ocean health. About Economist ImpactEconomist Impact combines the rigour of a think-tank with the creativity of a media brand to engage a globally influential audience. With framework design, benchmarking, economic and social impact analysis, forecasting and scenario modelling, Economist Impact provides creative storytelling, events expertise and market-leading media products. About The Nippon FoundationEstablished in 1962, The Nippon Foundation is Japan's largest philanthropic foundation. In ocean affairs, the Foundation aims to cultivate human resources who will chart a course for the ocean's future and to pass on the ocean's riches to future generations. Other primary areas of activity include support for children, persons with disabilities and disaster relief. View original content: SOURCE Back to Blue Sign in to access your portfolio
CNA
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
She's making space for artistes with disabilities to shine on Singapore's biggest arts stage
The pre-pandemic 2010s were a blur of excess. ZoukOut transformed beaches into pulsating raves, Marquee re-imagined nightclubbing as an adult theme park replete with a towering slide and Ferris wheel, stadiums heaved with pop and K-pop heavyweights. Audiences demanded bigger names, louder beats, grander spectacles, and the entertainment industry obliged. It was amid this maximalist race that a single quiet voice cut through the noise. A festival and arts producer, Audrey Perera was not interested in big headliners or bright pyrotechnics. Instead, she assembled some 100 of the most diverse artistes with disabilities from 22 nations – many of whom most Singaporeans may not have heard of. There was the Canadian one-armed violin virtuoso Adrian Anantawan; Australian singer Tony Dee, who has cerebral palsy; New Zealand wheelchair dancer Rodney Bell; as well as visually-impaired musicians and wheelchair dancers from Singapore. Together, they launched the first True Colours Festival in March 2018. Presented by UNESCO and the philanthropic Nippon Foundation, ticketed shows drew more than 12,000 people. It was groundbreaking. Shortly after, the world was gripped by the pandemic, and the festival went virtual with film festivals, documentaries and music videos. Then, in 2022, as the world emerged from the pandemic, Perera produced a True Colors live concert in Tokyo, Japan. This year, True Colors is returning to Singapore, from May 30 to Jun 1, 2025, as part ofthis year's Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA). A blend of dance, music and behind-the-scenes footage, COLONY – A True Colors Project is inspired by an ant colony. The dance production features a cast of artistes without and with disabilities, including loss of limb, mobility impairments and Down syndrome, from Singapore, Japan, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand and the Philippines. The storyline revolves around a community of people living in the same tenement. They are different, yet the same – though they don't realise it. It follows the characters' journey as they confront prejudice, fear and conflict those differences stir, ultimately forging a deep human connection. NOT A CHARITY SHOW One thing Perera wants you to know upfront: This is not a charity show. 'The mindset (in Singapore) is, when you see people with disabilities on stage, it's usually in the context of a fundraising show,' the 63-year-old lamented. 'There is nothing wrong with a fundraiser – organisations have to raise funds, and that's one way. 'But it can also be disempowering if you keep putting people with disabilities into that category – to think that first, a sad story about their life must be narrated, then you watch them play the drums badly, and then the cheque book comes out.' Many also think that artistes with disability 'are not at the same level and hence lower their expectations', but that is simply not true, Perera said. 'When you have different bodies performing together, obviously not everybody's going to be technically perfect. But dance is not just about technical perfection. It's about self-expression, communicating emotion through that movement,' she told CNA Women. 'The fact is that in every human, there is the desire, the need to self-express. And dance is a way to self-express. Watching this is very powerful and poignant,' she reflected. But don't watch it through a lens of pity. Artistes with disabilities want to be seen for who they are, not defined by their disability, Perera stressed. 'The thing I'm learning from these artistes is that we are the ones who fixate on their disability. They don't. They get on with their lives. They express themselves, they work, they live, they find their ways around the disability,' she said. That is also how the True Colours Festival in 2018 got its name. And no, it has nothing to do with the well-known Cyndi Lauper song. At that time, Perera was struck by something two artistes with disabilities from different parts of the world said in separate media interviews. 'They said that although social media appears to have made the world more connected, it actually had the opposite effect because it was dictating what was acceptable and cool. As a result, people like them did not feel welcome at the table – they never get to show their 'true colours',' she said. Perera wanted to give them that platform. 'The reality is, more than 15 per cent of human society is made up of people who have a disability, according to the United Nations,' the producer noted. 'If we are saying that one role of art is to reflect society, shouldn't this be more represented on mainstream stages?' she asked. This diversity better showcases the full spectrum of human experiences. Disability or no, humans are by nature unique and diverse, reflected Perera. 'Conformity is an enforced condition.' But art has the power to cut through those barriers, she said. As a journalist and editor, Perera went on a media trip to Australia three decades ago for the World of Music, Arts and Dance (WOMAD) festival. She vividly remembers watching Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, a singer from Pakistan, performing religious music in Arabic to a predominantly white, Australian audience. 'Nobody understood a word he sang. But the power of his voice and emotions crossed all the barriers. I felt like this voice was coming from a higher power through him. The crowd was rapt, and asked for encore after encore until he couldn't perform anymore. He was on the verge of collapse. I was very struck,' she reminisced. At the same festival, Perera watched Tibetan singer Yungchen Lhamo performing in Pali (the scriptural language of a branch of Buddhism). 'She is very small-sized and looked tiny on stage. But she sang with a beautiful voice, clear as a bell. This was 1am in the morning, and there was pin-drop silence. I wish more people could experience this feeling of connection,' she recalled. Later, when Perera interviewed the founder of WOMAD, she learnt that he wanted to bring WOMAD to Singapore. Though she had no festival-producing experience, she volunteered for the job. Returning to Singapore, Perera began knocking on doors and pitching the idea. Many doors slammed in her face. But by sheer determination, three years later, she pulled it off. In 1998, Perera launched the inaugural WOMAD, a four-day festival that took place at Fort Canning Park. 'I remember the opening night (of WOMAD in Singapore), there was a group from Scotland called Shooglenifty that played the fiddle. I wondered if anybody would dance because in Australia, New Zealand, UK, (festival-goers) danced. But I knew Singapore was a tough audience – shy. 'At the opening beats, people already went up to the front to dance! It was a thing of beauty to see people feeling free and un-self-conscious enough to just dance,' she smiled. Over the years, Perera presented Hungarian musicians and Burundi drummers to Singapore audiences. 'I feel that it is important to be in a space where we appreciate art and culture beyond our CMIO (Chinese Malay India Others) script,' she reflected. Before leading the True Colours Festival, she produced several smaller festivals, all while raising her now 25-year-old daughter. 'I want to create spaces and worlds that take people out of their everyday world and uplift them – where they can experience moments of joy, connection and exhilaration,' she said. Live performances are powerful, she added. 'You are in the presence of hundreds of people who are experiencing a whole welter of emotions, just like you. It makes you feel more connected to everybody else.' In the fractured world we live in right now – divided by trade wars, protectionist policies and fear – Perera said such connection and collaboration are more vital than ever before.
