President's Message

Introduction

In an age of transformation, if we do not rise, then who will?

First, let us be conscious that, in our youth, we are still immature. It is precisely because of this awareness that we can break free from existing frameworks, discover the significance of the JC movement through flexible thinking, and spend our time meaningfully. And toward the realization of a brighter, more prosperous society, let us hold fast to a willingness to learn and devote all our strength. It is there, beyond, that the true value of youth resides.

Bearing in our hearts the tradition of the Fuji Junior Chamber and its proud 68-year history, we confront the challenges of contemporary society. Inheriting the path our many senior members have built, we will continue to take on challenges so that they may feel pride in what our activities achieve.

How are we to confront contemporary society? It is by becoming pioneers with a new perspective. With foresight toward the challenges before us, with ingenuity and creativity, we will carry out our projects without fear. By undertaking projects that stand close to people's lives and resonate in their hearts, we demonstrate the meaning of our existence and create the starting point of a way of living that leads to a bright society rich in "heart."

Committee for Creating a Society of Total Vitality

Through the vitality of all people, toward a town of appeal.

In Japan today, disparities in income and in assets according to where one lives have become apparent, and the educational disparities arising from them are growing ever more serious. Resolving such structural challenges demands enormous time and effort, and there is a limit to what we can address by our strength alone. What, then, can we do now?

In recent years in Fuji City, exchange has flourished through markets and festivals led by local organizations and citizens. From a perspective rooted in the region and drawing on the merits of this locale, I wish to create opportunities that draw out the vitality of each and every citizen. As one effective means to this end, I am focusing my attention on "lessons and learning activities."

Lessons and learning activities nurture the heart regardless of age or gender, give rise to bonds between people, and bring vitality to the region. It is also profoundly meaningful to create new learning activities necessary for daily life and to broaden the range of choices. From the perspective of those of us who live in the very midst of contemporary society, we will create opportunities that become the starting point for enriching the lives of many people.

Through such efforts, people rich in heart will gather, and future generations will wish to put down roots and live in this place. It is not through things or objects, but because people themselves are full of life, that we aim to realize "Fuji City, a town of appeal." For we ourselves came to meet one another through the "learning activity" of becoming leaders that the JC provides.

Committee for Creating Children's Smiles

Toward sustainable, sound development that draws on the strength of the family.

In contemporary society, the environment surrounding children is changing at a rapid pace. With the flood of information from social media and the internet, and with the decline in the power of watchful care and moral education that accompanies dual-income households and the nuclear family, the tendency for children to become isolated has grown conspicuous. At a time when even we adults are doing all we can simply to keep up with the changes of the age, the sound development of the children who will carry the future is an exceedingly important and urgent challenge. For this very reason, the foundation of sustainable, sound development lies in the parent-child relationship.

Sex education in particular has an aspect that parents, precisely because they are parents, tend to avoid. Yet in our times, harm that cannot be brought to light, and incidents that are not even recognized as harm, are occurring. We never want our children to become either victims or perpetrators. We must put that conviction into action.

Sex education is not a taboo but a hope for the future. First, we ourselves will change our perspective, become pioneers, and together with parents root out the lurking threats, continuing to protect children's smiles. Learning how to protect a smile is itself the driving force that creates many smiles.

Committee for Member Exchange and International Affairs

Beyond exchange, toward the finest hospitality.

One of the great things I have been learning through JC activities is "the spirit of hospitality." The essence of hospitality as I understand it lies not in mere courtesy or formality, but in offering memorable experiences that touch and influence another's life. Such experiences nurture a shared awareness, deepen a sense of fellowship, build relationships of trust, and become an occasion for giving rise to new values in one another.

There are people we were able to meet precisely because we joined the JC. Yet do we not regard those encounters as something to be taken for granted? Each and every one of these connections is a precious opportunity that supports our growth. For this very reason, we must look anew at our existing settings for exchange, enhance them all the more, and create new projects from fresh perspectives.

Envisioning the smiles of those who gather there, we will realize the finest hospitality that surpasses their expectations. What lies beyond exchange is trust and deep emotion, and a future that will be handed down to the generations to come.

Public Relations Committee

Living public relations, brimming with smiles, that reach the other person.

In contemporary society, the power of public relations is by now indispensable to every activity. Public relations is not merely the transmission of information; its purpose and its methods change according to the person we wish to reach. What we must value is an attitude that focuses not only on what the Fuji JC "wishes to convey," but on what the other person "wishes to know."

There are still a great many people who do not know the JC. Drawing on our power to plan, we will first connect with their interest in who we are. Moreover, public relations does not stop at the outward-facing; we also devote our energy to internal public relations directed at our members and our senior members. I am convinced that, by becoming a two-way bridge, public relations can become a starting point for exchange and give rise to even greater understanding and empathy.

Taking care with the use of cutting-edge technology and with our methods of outreach, and never forgetting at times to work up a sweat on the front lines, we will win over ever more fellows and supporters. That accumulation will become our growth, and will surely become an irreplaceable asset for the future.

Visionary Conference

Toward a future-oriented organization backed by the power to act.

To look squarely at our own future is exceedingly important. The Junior Chamber is a deliberative body, and it is essential that we set forth a clear vision. Depending on the matter at hand, we should actively incorporate bottom-up thinking, foster a sense of ownership, and reflect what is genuinely effective in our activities.

True enjoyment begins with demonstrating one's own worth. We will create new occasions for deliberation that contribute to raising our members' sense of ownership, and aim to form a future-oriented organization in which individual character is brought into harmony. For the sake of a bright future, it is at times necessary to lower our vantage point.

Secretariat

Toward a dynamic secretariat possessed of driving force.

The secretariat is not merely a body of "review and management"; it is a presence that, as a comprehensive coordinating organ, keeps the entire organization running smoothly. I believe that adding "research and proposal" to this generates still greater driving force and leads to a sustainable management of the organization oriented toward the future.

Not only standing close to the challenges undertaken by members and committees, but taking on those challenges together and broadening the possibilities of our projects, we will further raise the quality and the results of JC activities. A dynamic secretariat gives the entire organization the courage to rise and brings it vitality.

In Closing

It is precisely because we are young that we can possess the courage to keep taking on challenges without fear of failure. With pride in our 68-year history and with the responsibility to open up the future held in our hearts, let us run through with all our might, together with our fellows.

What lies there is not an obligation but a right to transform, a challenge driven by enjoyment. To walk a new path is accompanied by anxiety and fear. Yet what we need is the will to fight for the town and for its people. It is precisely that aspiration that drives us forward and opens a path beyond our steps. And beyond that, may we not come to possess a worth that yields to no one?

Now is the time to believe in our possibilities and, for the sake of the people who live in this town, to carry out our activities with sincerity and an ardent heart. Each and every one of those steps will surely build a bright society rich in "heart."

Core Philosophy

Standing close to the daily lives of the people of our region, driven by fighting spirit to keep taking on challenges, and building the future together.

Basic Policies

• To remain people of talent who always hold fighting spirit in their hearts and show the courage to confront adversity.
• To stand close to the daily life of the region and take on challenges that create new value.
• To advance activities that protect and nurture children's smiles, and contribute to the sound growth of the generation that will carry the future.
• To undertake projects that give rise to empathy, and to strengthen the organization through an increase in membership.
• As an organization that cherishes connections and values people, to respect one another and build trust.
• To insist on the quality of enjoyment and, with self-growth as our driving force, to connect it to the happiness of our families and the prosperity of our workplaces.

LOM Slogan

Fighting Spirit ― Bet on HEART ―