Empowering Japan's Future Leaders
One Young World
Japan Caucus
SHIBUYA 2024
Event Report
On Saturday, May 25, 2024, One Young World Japan (OYWJ) held One Young World Japan Caucus Shibuya 2024. The event was held at SHIBUYA QWS and was attended by over 200 people. As always, the annual event was streamed online for those unable to attend in person and consisted of face-to-face in-depth discussions, featuring talks from key leaders representing business, politics, climate, and societal issues.
The day opened with OYWJ Chairperson, Mr. Kimy Okubo, OYW Managing Director, Ms. Ella Robertson McKay, and Tokyo Governor Ms. Yuriko Koike. Their powerful comments and insight set the tone for the day.
The OYW Nagasaki Peace Summit Session
The OYW Nagasaki Peace Forum was One Young World’s first ever peace summit supported by One Young World Japan and was held in Nagasaki, Japan from May 10th to 13th, 2024. 250 participants from about 25 countries, and featured lectures by such distinguished guests as Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, and Ms. Shorna-Kay Richards, Jamaican Ambassador to Japan. The 4-day event also included workshops and networking among participants to personalize peace activities.
- The Nagasaki Session -
- The Shibuya QWS Session -
The Shibuya QWS Session
The Shibuya QWS session featured Ms. Lemie Saza of SWiTCH Sustainability Artists Association, Dr. Premakumara Jagath Dickella, Principal Researcher/Director of IGES Center for Environmental Technology, and Patagonia Japan’s Brand Responsibility Manager, Mr. Kenji Shino. Dr. Kumara introduced Sri Lankan children’s efforts to combat marine plastic waste.Mr. Shino introduced a jacket made from reused fish nets, which was created under the Patagonia mission statement “We’re in business to save our home planet.” Ms. Saza introduced her recycling-based creations featuring polyester artwork displayed at the G7 in Sapporo, Japan.
The TerraCycle Session
The TerraCycle Session was facilitated by Mr. Eric Kawabata of TerraCycle and Ms. Urara Takaseki, a OYW Ambassador and founder of Omotete. This year, TerraCycle’s session introduced new developments from Daiichi Sankyo Healthcare and ASICS.
Daiichi Sankyo Healthcare introduced its “Medicine Sheet Recycling Program” initiative to address environmental issues, as well as its “Menstrual Pain Project” initiative to promote women’s health awareness.
ASICS introduced its new technology that makes it possible to recycle shoes that were thought to be difficult to disassemble and impossible to recycle. The product is now on sale and is the first of its kind in Japan.
- Daiichi Sankyo Healthcare -
- ASICS -
- Women In Politics -
The Women In Politics Session
The Women In Politics session began with a speech by Ms. Momoko Nojo, representative of NO YOUTH NO JAPAN and FIFTYS PROJECT. She warmed up the audience with her passion for guiding young people and women into politics.
Ms. Maya Matsuoka, representative of Japan Expert Insights, was our facilitator, accompanied by 3 women who are active in the political world. They were Ms. Kaoru Matsuzawa, Deputy Mayor of Shibuya, Ms. Rieko Fukushima, a member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, and Ms. Mika Asai, a member of the Kobe City Assembly. The panelists engaged in conversation about the challenges of being a female politician and the various issues in Japanese society confronting politicians these days.
The Women In Business Session
The Women in Business session was facilitated by Ms. Yuka Tanimoto, Web Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Japan, and featured panelists Ms. Yoko Ohara, the “godmother of Japan’s fashion business,” Ms. Fujiyo Ishiguro, Founder of Netyear, and Ms. Kaori Nishiharaguchi, Executive Officer of JAL. They discussed the key points of career development and the background behind the difficulty in creating female CEOs but offered encouragement and advice to the young leaders in attendance.
- Women In Business -
The OYW Ambassadors Session
OYW Ambassadors Ms. Serina Suzuki, Ms. Kohga Nakai, and Ms. Naomi Iwasawa shared their experiences during the OYW Ambassadors In Action Session.
Serina introduced the challenges of the gender gap in today’s society along with her own struggles and current initiatives while working as a private banker at JP Morgan in Hong Kong.
Kohga is a medical student at Tokushima University but has established his own company, Cross Medicine Inc., to address the issue of postpartum depression through the use of technology.
Naomi shared her research on multicultural conviviality and other educational projects to promote DEI as CEO of Culmony Inc. She said that the diverse dialogues at OYW have been a source of power and inspiration for her own activities.
The Forbes 30 Under 30 Session
The FORBES 30 UNDER 30 session was facilitated by Ms. Momoko Amemiya, and featured Ms. Ayumi Nishigawa, representative of NPO DEAR ME and president of coxco, inc., and Mr. Satoshi Nagata, Chief Strategy Officer at Sagri.
Ms. Nishigawa spoke about her motivation for starting her own business and the struggles of her current activities, with the goal of solving social issues through fashion.
Mr. Nagata introduced his activities at Sagri Corporation, which uses satellite data analysis and AI machine learning to solve agricultural and environmental issues, and talked about the pains and challenges of developing a market in India.
- Forbes 30 Under 30 -
- Creativity On Display -
Creativity On Display
The “Creativity On Display” event featured a live performance by Mr. Kohei Omae. He added color to the venue with his beautiful artwork.
The 11-hour Japan Caucus ended with discussions among the participants.
We would like to express our deepest gratitude to all those involved in organizing the event and to all those who participated.
The OYW Summit will be held in Montreal, Canada in September.
Special Thanks
