Russian-Japanese Youth Forum on the “Partner Cities” topic (archive event)

Russian-Japanese youth cooperation is carried out in accordance with the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of Japan on the establishment of the Russian-Japanese Youth Exchange Commission of March 15, 1999.

In connection with the Year of Russian-Japanese interregional and sister city exchanges 2020-2021 MIREA – Russian Technological University acting as the Coordinating Bureau of Russian-Japanese Youth Exchanges and the Japan-Russia Youth Exchange Center (Japan) took the initiative to hold the Russian-Japanese Youth Forum on the “Partner Cities” topic. 

The forum is one of the main events of the Russian-Japanese Youth Exchange Plan for 2021 approved by the Russian-Japanese Youth Exchange Commission.

The important purpose of the forum is to intensify youth cooperation within the framework of the partnership of cities (regions) of Russia and Japan.

Participants are representatives of local governments, students of educational institutions of higher education, young professionals and representatives of youth public associations from Russia and Japan aged 18 to 35, united in 6 teams representing such partner cities or regions as Volgograd – Hiroshima, Leningrad Region – Kyoto Prefecture, Severo-Kurilsk – Nemuro, Vladivostok – Shimane Prefecture, Kholmsk – Kushiro, St. Petersburg – Osaka. Representatives of organizations assisting the development of Russian-Japanese youth cooperation also toot part. In total 44 people participated there. 

Outcomes: As part of the program of the forum, participants discussed living conditions in their cities – the current situation and development prospects in such areas as culture and organization of free time, proposals for young people and environmental protection.

The program of the first day of the forum included the presentation “Opportunities for Russian-Japanese Youth Cooperation”, video presentations of cities prepared by the participants and introductory reports by experts. The forum experts were the Chairman of the Committee on Youth Policy and Interaction with Public Organizations of St. Petersburg B.G. Zastavny, the employee of the Department of International Relations, Business and International Promotion of the Bureau of Economic Strategy of the Government of Osaka K. Yamada, the Secretary General of the International Center for Wetlands of Kushiro Y. Kikuchi.

As part of the foresight session, on the second and third days of the forum participants exchanged the experience of their cities, formulated main development trends and created the image of the “City of the Future”. It is the city with clean air and water bodies, a large number of parks, “clean” energy sources, electric vehicles, a waste collection and recycling system, residents who consciously choose an environmentally friendly lifestyle and actively participate in environmental protection, the city that is attractive to young people, inclusive and barrier-free environment, the use of IT technologies for development but with the preservation of live human communication.

In agreement with the Japanese side it was decided to hold the next bilateral youth forum on the “Partner Cities” topic in 2022.