Wishing to strengthen bonds with alumni members through exchanges with a human face- PREX Island

PREX Members
Wishing to strengthen bonds with alumni members through exchanges with a human face

I visited two countries in Central America (Costa Rica and Nicaragua) in autumn, 2010. I had been in charge of two seminar courses, on Trade Promotion and Regional Promotion in the Central America region, during its initial year, which afforded me the opportunity to visit. In the last four years, the number of alumni members of these two courses has become 29 in the two countries. About 70 percent of them, 18 people, came out to see us, saying such things as, “Our honored teacher has arrived!” and, “We can meet with our old PREX members!” All of them reported to us with pride that they had put the content learned in Japan to good use and have been working hard since returning home. This was the first opportunity for past alumni members to gather under the same roof. Every day, we made visits to related organizations and companies and observed regional areas. Some of the alumni members offered a car while at the same time acting as our guide. During the drives or over meals, they told us of their countries’ economies, cultures and societies. So these former seminar participants who have returned home were valuable navigators in each of the countries. In the Regional Promotion course in September last year, we conducted a follow-up on participants who have returned home, using TV conferences. Twenty-eight of the 41 people from seven countries who participated during the four years of the course attended. Through this visit through time and space, we were reunited with the old members, including alumni we met two years ago and others we met for the first time since their return home. Our time together may have been limited to three hours, but we were able to confirm that the alumni members are set to become a more cohesive group in the future and that they are working hard for the economic development of the Central America region. As a PREX representative, I would like to see the bonds strengthened in the future with the alumni members through such “exchanges with a human face.”

From left, Mr. Igarashi, interpreter, Jonny, former seminar participant, and his wife, Paygee, who took care of us in Costa Rica, Kitamura from PREX, and Professor Murata.

• Date : March 15, 2012
• Name : Koji MURASE, PREX Director, Secretary General and Director of the International Department
• Seminar : Visiting to Costa Rica and Nicaragua in autumn, 2010