The 44th public lecture, “The Future of Central Eurasia and Japan”, was held on Monday, December 4, 2023. This time, we invited Mr. Mori Yuji, Executive Director of the Nippon Foundation, which has warmly supported the NipCA project in various ways including financially, to give a lecture titled “Seeking Smiles for 36 Years and Beyond”.
In this lecture, Mr. Mori, who has devoted 36 years of his life to improving and solving local issues around the world by leading various non-profit organizations, spoke in detail about his past activities, including valuable insights and unique episodes from the field. The story begins with how, based on his experience in his previous job, he decided to move to a non-profit organization, feeling that working there would be a better fit for him. The main organizations that Mr. Mori has belonged to and the main activities he carried out there are as follows.
・At the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, he supports rural development NGOs in Asian countries.
・Worked at the Asian Medical Liaison Association (AMDA), an NGO that supports victims of natural disasters and conflicts by utilizing his medical expertise, and is involved in supporting disaster victims and refugees around the world.
・As Secretary General of the Japan Emergency Relief NGO Group (JEN), he worked hard to support refugees from the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia.
・At the Japan Environment Foundation, while experiencing the current situation of Mongolian society 10 years after independence from the Soviet Union, we are promoting activities to improve Mongolia’s natural environment.
・At the ICA Cultural Affairs Association, he was involved in rural development projects in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
・Established the Mongolian public interest corporation “Wansenbul Mongolia” and is carrying out projects such as promoting traditional Mongolian medicine.
・As the head of the Japan Foundation International Cooperation Group, he supports basic education, public health, improvement of agricultural technology, human resource development, and peacebuilding, mainly in Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Latin America, and Africa.
Mr. Mori said that in all organizations, it has always been important to extend as much support as possible to those in need, and to discover, develop, and support future human resources in the field of international cooperation.
He then shared with the participants nine important attitudes that he has realized through his wide-ranging achievements. That is, ①always be curious about what happens in society when engaging in social and public interest activities. ②Have a global perspective and always look at your position objectively. ③Devote yourself to a hands-on approach. ④No matter what the situation, always return to the original intention and never lose sight of the goal of the activity. ⑤To become an “interpreter” in various aspects such as culture, society, and religion. ⑥Maintain and expand your network of colleagues and contacts in your field of activity. ⑦Be flexible in your beliefs. ⑧Always take stock of your skills and activity performance to understand your selling points. ⑨If you quit your job too quickly, you will be selling yourself short when it comes time to look for your next job, so when you quit, make sure you have your next job decided before leaving your current organization.
In this lecture, he talked about the wide variety of issues faced in different cultures and specific efforts to solve them, and learned many hints that can be used for the future development of the NipCA project and the University of Tsukuba.
