Gifu Prefecture

On July 24, five Nikkei scholars (Nikkei = people of Japanese descent) studying at Japanese universities on Nippon Foundation scholarships, gave visiting lessons at a school for the children of Brazilians in Japan. The Sociedade Educacional Brazilian School is located in Minokamo, Gifu Prefecture, a city with a large number of parts plants for major manufacturers. 10% of the city’s population consists of non-Japanese residents, and the foreign population there has undergone a large number of job losses due to the global economic slowdown. In the prevailing atmosphere of economic gloom, however, children at the school maintained a positive, energetic outlook.

This is the ninth such visiting lecture given since 2007. Held at three different locations around the country, these talks make it possible for visiting scholars to assist foreign children living in Japan, including children of Japanese descent. Some 80 of the school’s 118 students, ranging from first through twelfth grade, took part in this lesson. The scholarship students led classes in Portuguese on topics like protecting the environment, the dangers of drugs, and the promise of information technology. They talked about the importance of having dreams and the need to buckle down and study. Following their lectures, the children posed various questions, like, “What must I do to be able to become what I want?” Encouraging answers included, “Fan your intellectual curiosity and ambition and keep moving toward what you want to do,” or “Remember that you’re young. Even if you fail at first, keep in mind you have time to try again.”

Children listen intently in class

Minokamo has a population of 55,000 people and is known for its large population of Brazilian workers. In October 2008 the city was home to 6,200 foreigners. Since then, the economic slowdown has caused around 500 people to lose their jobs, and growing numbers of students at the school are returning to their home countries with their parents. The total number of students has dropped from a high of 300 to less than one-half that figure. “With worsening employment, many migrant workers have been forced to return home,” remarked one of the scholars. “I’m sure the children are anxious, too, but it’s still reassuring to see the energy and positive outlook in their smiling faces.”

In cooperation with the Association of Nikkei & Japanese Abroad, the Nippon Foundation in 2004 established the Nippon Foundation Nikkei Scholarship “Dream Come True Project,” a program for students from Central and South America of Japanese descent who wish to study in Japan. To date, scholarships have been awarded to a total of 46 students. In addition to this scholarship program, the Nikkei Scholar Association plans to continue supporting non-Japanese schoolchildren in Japan through visiting lessons like this and through its newly-launched drawing contest.