PHILFEJA Participates in the 28th ASJA Board Meeting (Mar 28, 2014)

March 28, 2014by Philip Sanvictores in ASCOJA, ASJA Relations, PHILFEJA

The 28th Board of Directors Meeting of ASJA (Asia Japan Alumni Association) International was held on March 28, 2014 at the Keio Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan.  PHILFEJA sent a four-person delegation led by Mr. Philip B. Sanvictores who represented Mr. Benjamin C. Laurel, PHILFEJA President concurrently Chairman of both ASJA and ASCOJA (ASEAN Council of Japan Alumni).  The other members of the Delegation were Ms. Cecile P. Tolentino (PHILFEJA Secretary-General), Ms. Marilen Laurel-Loinaz and Ms. Gennie T. Ferma (Administrator and Deputy Administrator respectively of the Philippines-Japan Friendship Foundation).  Also in attendance as an observer was Mrs. Patricia Maribel C. Sanvictores.

ASJA Directors from all 10 ASEAN countries, each representing chapter associations of ASCOJA were in attendance.  ASJA, on the other hand was represented by Amb. Takashi Tajima, Director for Japan and Mr. Jiro Sato, Secretary-General.  Representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Education, Sports, Culture, Science and Technology (MEXT), the Toshiba Foundation International, and the National Institute for Youth Education (NIYE) were also present.

2014.0327_PBS & PM Abe

PHILFEJA President Mr. Philip B. Sanvictores with H.E. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

Prior to the meeting, the ASJA Directors called on H.E. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the Official Residence of the Prime Minister in Nagatacho.  Thereafter, the group called on Mr. Teisuke Kitayama, Chairman of the Keizai Douyu Kai at the Sumitomo Mitsui Bank head office in Otemachi.

2014.0327_ASJA SMBC 6 Group Pic

ASCOJA delegates with Keizai Douyakai Chairman Mr. Teisuke Kitayama at his office at the Sumitomo Mitsui Bank Headquarters

A Welcome Dinner followed at the Comet room 43rd floor of the Keio Plaza Hotel where Mr. Sanvictores delivered a speech on behalf of Mr. Laurel.

The following day, Friday 28 March 2014, Mr. Sanvictores, representing Chairman Benjamin Laurel, presided over the ASJA International Board Meeting.  The meeting tackled various matters including the Proposed ASJA Budget for FY2014, new guidelines for the selection of ASJA Government Scholars, reports on various ASJA activities as well as the extension of the term of the ASJA Secretary-General.  The matter concerning the selection of the ASJA Chairman in order to allow Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam to serve was also tackled.  It was agreed after extensive discussions that for the next three years (2014-2017), the ASJA Chairmanship will have a one-year fixed term to be rotated among the said three countries following normal balloting procedures of ASJA.

The ASJA meeting was followed by a special meeting of the ASCOJA Board of Governors which was also chaired by Mr. Sanvictores on behalf of Mr. Laurel.  The meeting mainly discussed the report of Dr. Ngo Binh of the Japan Alumni of Vietnam (JAV) on the results of the 20th ASCOJA Conference held in Hanoi in 2013, preliminary plans of PHILFEJA for hosting the 21st ASCOJA Conference in 2015, and the plan to craft a new Vision and Mission for ASCOJA in time for ASCOJA 2015.

The meeting was temporarily suspended with a courtesy call on Mr. Akio Mimura, Chairman and Mr. Toshio Nakamura of the Japan Chamber of Commerce at its head office in Marunouchi.  During the courtesy call, Mr. Sanvictores noted that the __ Annual Joint Meeting of the Economic Cooperation Committees of the Philippines and Japan was recently held in Manila earlier in the month.

JCCI 5

ASCOJA Governors and ASJA Officers called on the Chairman of Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), Mr. Akio Mimura on March 28, 2014 at the JCCI Headoffice in Marunouchi, Tokyo.

 

Upon the resumption of the ASCOJA Governors Meeting, representatives from the National Institute for Youth Exchange (NIYE) and Toshiba International Foundation (TIF) gave presentations on respective programs being offered to ASCOJA youth delegates for Autumn 2014 and March 2015.

After the ASCOJA Meeting, Mr. Sanvictores addressed the ASJA scholars who had just completed their studies.  Three graduates from Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia were presented certificates of completion.  As the presiding ASJA Chairman, Mr. Sanvictores read each citation before handing out the certificates to them.

This was followed by the rendering of reports from 18 current ASJA Scholars about their ongoing activities.  There were two Filipinos in that group of scholars.

The day ended with a farewell reception which was attended not only by the ASCOJA delegates but also officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education, Sports, Culture, Science and Technology, NIYE, Toshiba Foundation and Assemblyman Tatsuo Fukuda, son of former Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, grandson of former Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda.  Mr. Sanvictores spoke to the youthful Assemblyman Fukuda about the long relationship between his illustrious grandfather and father with the Philippines-Japan Society and the ASCOJA, citing their personal relationships with the late Ambassador Jose S. Laurel III, founder of the Philippines-Japan Society and also his father, Ambassador Benjamin F. Sanvictores.

ASJA March 2014 Meeting
ASJA March 2014 Meeting(1)
ASJA March 2014 Meeting

Also at the reception, ASJA International presented Plaques of Appreciation to ASJA Directors from Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar Thailand and Cambodia for their service as members of the ASJA Board of Directors.  Shown in the follow photos is ASJA Acting Chairman Philip Sanvictores (representing Chairman Benjamin C. Laurel), presenting the plaques to Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Binh of Vietnam, Mr.U Myint Wai of Myanmar, Admiral Wicharn Wijarn of Thailand, Mr. Dang Rono of Indonesia (represented by Mr. Ismadji Hadjisumarto) and Mr. Hen Sua of Cambodia (represented by Mr. Chou Heng).

Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Binh of JAV
Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Binh of JAV
U Myint Wai of MAJA
U Myint Wai of MAJA
Admiral Wijarn of OJSAT
Admiral Wijarn of OJSAT
Mr. Ismadji Hadisumarto of PERSADA receiving the award on behalf of Mr. Djang Rono
Mr. Ismadji Hadisumarto of PERSADA receiving the award on behalf of Mr. Djang Rono
Mr. Chou Heng of JAC receiving the award on behalf of Mr. Hen Sua
Mr. Chou Heng of JAC receiving the award on behalf of Mr. Hen Sua

ASJA Scholars Completion Graduation Ceremony 2014 (Mar 28, 2014)

March 28, 2014by Philip Sanvictores in ASJA Relations tagged ,

ASJA Scholars Completion Graduation Ceremony 2014 at Keio Plaza Hotel, Tokyo, Japan

2012 Interview with ASCOJA Chairman Benjie Laurel (Apr 17, 2013)

April 17, 2013by Philip Sanvictores in ASCOJA, ASJA Relations

Download (PDF, 2.77MB)

Translated by Prof. Kenjiro Ogata, Academic Adviser of Philippine Institute of Japanese Language & Culture and the Nihongo Center Foundation

     The following is an edited excerpt of the interview conducted by FN Holding’s facsimile financial newspaper with the late Mr. Benjamin C. Laurel, the then Chairman of the Asian Council of Japan Alumni (ASCOJA). The interview was conducted in 2012 right after the Japanese Government of the then ruling party Minshu Tou 民主党decided to abolish Asia Japan Alumni (ASJA) International, ASCOJA’s counterpart organization in Japan.

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FN: Mr. Laurel, what do you think of the recent decision by the Japanese Government to abolish the ASJA?

Laurel: I feel deeply sorry about that decision, and wish for the continuation of the ASJA. One of the purposes of the ASJA scholarship program is to increase the number of “ambassadors of goodwill.” I was hoping that this program would continue to promote better understanding between Japan and ASEAN countries. It is very important that Japan and the ASEAN countries maintain peace in the region when the world is full of problems.

ASJA scholars are all screened very carefully and qualified to become ambassadors of goodwill. They go to Japan not only to study business techniques or manufacturing methods but also to gain a better understanding of Japan and Japanese people. They go to Japan not for money but for mutual understanding between Japan and their respective countries. This kind of human exchange is a good example of the heart-to-heart relations in the Fukuda doctrine advocated by the late Japanese Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda. I believe that Japan and the ASEAN countries should not focus only on business and money. We should promote mutual understanding, mutual respect, and cooperation.

At this juncture allow me to explain the history of the ASCOJA and the ASJA. The ASCOJA was established by those Japan alumni who were invited to the gathering ‘tsudoi’ initiated by the late Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda. They were those who had been invited to Japan by the Japanese Government during the Second World War as “Nanpo Tokubetsu Ryugakusei (special scholars from the south). My father was one of those who were supportive of them, and he founded the Philippine Federation of Japan Alumni (PHILFEJA) in 1976. And by making use of the connections among the Japan alumni of the ASEAN countries, he established a regional organization named the ASEAN Counsel of Japan Alumni (ASCOJA) in 1977.

After the establishment of the ASCOJA anti-Japan demonstrations in the ASEAN region decreased. Those demonstrations took place due to negative memories of the war among other things. We at ASCOJA exerted our utmost efforts to overcome the anti-Japan feelings by promoting mutual understanding and harmony between Japan and each of the member countries. The ASJA is the Japanese counterpart to the ASCOJA with this meaningful history. We regret that the Japanese Government thinks the ASJA is no longer necessary and has decided to abolish it.

My father and his colleagues established the ASCOJA by themselves without any government assistance. They sympathized with Prime Minister Fukuda’s philosophy and took the initiative. My father’s generation has already passed the torch to the second and third generations. And the transitions have been very smooth. The ideals of the first generation have been passed on to my generation and the next one, and I would like to see the continuation of this good trend in the future generations.

On my previous visit to Japan I brought with me four Philippine government officials whose purpose was to increase Japanese investment in the Philippines. On the other hand, Japanese businessmen have started to contact Japan alumni in addition to local businessmen in such ASEAN countries as Vietnam and Thailand. We Japan alumni can explain our culture to Japanese people and Japanese culture to our countrymen. I believe that the ASJA could and should continue to play a very important role in promoting friendship and strengthening ties between Japanese and ASEAN peoples.

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