Foreign Youth Invitation Program
The Foreign Youth Invitation Program is sponsored by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
to invite young people from various Asian, Pacific, and African countries to Japan for administrative and technical training. Ibaraki Prefecture takes part by putting up youth in training programs and homestays, and through cultural exchange, works towards the cultivation of mutual understanding and true friendship and trust.
Past groups:
- 2006: 26 youth from Vietnam
- Training field: general administration
- Period in Japan: September 6th to 28th
- Period in Ibaraki: September 11th to 19th
- Main visit sites: Public Works Research Institute, Ibaraki Agricultural Institute, and JAXA Tsukuba Space Center
- 2005: 20 youth from China
- Training field: environmental conservation
- Period in Japan: August 24th to September 15th
- Period in Ibaraki: September 6th to 13th
- Main visit sites: Ibaraki Kasumigaura Environmental Science Center, Eco‑Frontier Kasama, and Tsumura & Co.
JICA Partnership Program 
The JICA Partnership Program provides support to Ibaraki Prefecture in a variety of local level international cooperation activities for the benefit of people and regions in developing countries.
Self-reliance support program for farming villages in Sharsha, Bangladesh
In cooperation with the Japan Bangladesh Culture Exchange Association
, with the aim of fostering the leaders of the future, one technical trainee each year for three years (2003 to 2005) was hosted in Ibaraki.
Past trainees:
- 2005: Nutrition science trainee at Koibuchi College of Agriculture and Nutrition
- 2004: Public health trainee at the Japan Practical Agricultural Academy
- 2003: Marketing trainee at Hicoop Cooperative
Self-reliance support program for women in Afghanistan
This program was begun in 2006 in cooperation with Kibou No Gakkou, and in the first year hosted two trainees. They came to Ibaraki in August and for about three months studied sewing and child care with the help of private-sector companies.
JOCV and JICA senior volunteers
Japanese Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) (statistics) and JICA senior volunteers (statistics) are both JICA projects that send volunteers to make use of their skills and experience to help in developing countries.
| Inaugural year | 1965 |
|---|---|
| Total # destination countries | 83 |
| Cumulative # of volunteers | National: 28,384 (2,530 in 76 countries as of 5/06) |
| Ibaraki: 501 (47 in 33 countries as of 5/06) | |
| Recruitment periods | Spring and fall each year |
| Recruitment scale | About 1,000 people from about 140 professions |
| Volunteer age range | 20–39 |
| Selection process | First phase: application and health examination Second phase: interview and language test |
| Departure periods | End of June, beginning of Oct., end of Dec., end of March |
| Destination areas | Developing countries in Asia, Africa, Middle East, Latin America, Oceania, and Eastern Europe |
| Length of dispatch | 2 years in principle (depending on circumstances an extension of up to a year is possible) |
| Compensation/conditions | Living expenses: fixed amount ($300–$700/month depending on country) |
| Housing: supplied by local government, or allowance paid | |
| Round-trip air fare: paid by JOCV | |
| Dependent accompaniment: not paid for | |
| Health plan: provided from first day of pre-departure training to day of return from abroad |
| Inaugural year | 1990 |
|---|---|
| Total # destination countries | 54 |
| Cumulative # of volunteers | National: 2,696 (708 abroad as of 5/06) |
| Ibaraki: 70 (15 abroad as of 5/06) | |
| Recruitment periods | Spring and fall each year |
| Recruitment scale | About 500 people in 9 categories |
| Volunteer age range | 40–69 |
| Selection process | First phase: application and health examination Second phase: interview and language test |
| Departure periods | End of March, beginning of Oct., end of Nov. |
| Destination areas | Developing countries in Asia, Africa, Middle East, Latin America, and Oceania |
| Length of dispatch | 1 to 2 years |
| Compensation/conditions | Living expenses: fixed amount ($560–$1,300/month depending on country) |
| Housing: Allowance paid | |
| Round-trip air fare: paid by JOCV | |
| Dependent accompaniment: paid for | |
| Health plan: provided from first day of pre-departure training to day of return from abroad |