Message from the Chairperson
Message from the Chairperson
Makoto Oshima
My name is Makoto Oshima, and I was appointed as Representative Director (Chairperson) of Japan NPO Center at its Board of Directors meeting held on July 1, 2024.
I live in Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture. My first involvement in civic activities was when a large amount of heavy oil spilled from the Russian-flagged ship Nakhodka which ran aground off the coast of Tottori and Shimane prefectures in January 1997. The spill also washed ashore at Naoetsu Beach in my hometown, and I called on local citizens to help collect the spilled oil. Despite the harshness of Japan Sea during winter, we worked for about 40 days, and about 30,000 local citizens participated in the clean-up activities and many volunteers from surrounding Nagano and Gunma prefectures also came to help us. I still have a vivid memory of being moved by the passion of the citizens who were involved in the efforts.
This experience made me realize the importance of civic activities and the enormous energy they create, and after many discussions with the Joetsu Junior Chamber of Commerce and local volunteers, we established the Kubikino NPO Support Center in 1998 to support civic activities in Joetsu. During this time, I received guidance from Mr. Yamaoka and Mr. Harima (both of whom were former JNPOC representatives) as well as others who led NPO activities in Japan in the early days.
My connection with Japan NPO Center goes back to the NPO National Forum held in Niigata in 2005. Until then, this national forum had been held in large cities such as Yokohama, Hiroshima, and Sapporo, but never in any city along the Sea of Japan coastline. We recklessly volunteered ourselves to host the forum in hopes of raising the level of enthusiasm for civic activities in the Joetsu area. The forum was indeed a great success, if we may say so ourselves, and this gave us great confidence.
Through this connection, I became a Trustee of Japan NPO Center in 2005, a Board Director in 2008, and had served as Vice Chairperson since 2016.
I am an SME owner by profession, and my career has not necessarily had a core focus on civic activities like the previous chairpersons. For this reason, I must admit that I was somewhat hesitant at first about assuming the position of Representative Director. In our present time, however, Japan NPO Center must change itself drastically to keep pace with societal changes, and I am resolved to work with the directors, trustees, staff, and all the other supporters to get us through this time of change. Although there are still many uncertainties, I would like to build the future of Japan NPO Center together with all of you.
My appointment to this position may not have been par for the course in many respects. But this is all the more reason why I am honored and humbled to do my very best as chairperson. I am very grateful for your interest in our work, and we ask for your continued generous support in our days ahead.