Ibaraki Foreigners' Roundtable

To understand the opinions of Ibaraki's foreign-nationality residents toward their prefectural governemnt, and evaluate the various internationalization policies implemented by the prefecture, we have instituted a Foreigners' Roundtable. 2006 was the second year of the Roundtable, with all new members.

The Roundtable consists of ten members, all foreigners currently living in Ibaraki. By getting opinions and requests from a variety of viewpoints, we can develop internationalization policies that reflect the actual conditions of foreign residents' lives.

We compile the opinions and requests brought up by the Roundtable into an official proposal document and respond to critical issues through the Multicultural Regional Development Project.

2006 Schedule

First meeting: Monday, June 26, 2006
Second meeting: Monday, August 21, 2006
Third meeting: Monday, November 20, 2006
Fourth meeting: Monday, January 22, 2007

2006 Members

Coordinator: 1
Foreign resident participants: 10 (representing Brazil, Canada, China, France, Indonesia, Korea, the Phillipines, Sri Lanka, and Thailand)

Proposals of the 2005 Foreigners' Roundtable

The proposals of the 2005 Foreigners' Roundtable have been collected into this document: For the Positive Development of a Multi-Cultural Society (PDF).

Multicultural Regional Development Project

Responding to the suggestions of the 2005 Foreigners' Roundtable, the following three events were held in 2005.

Orientations for Ibaraki Residents of Foreign Nationality

Orientations aimed at foreign residents, for information on daily life, were held in Ōarai‑machi and Kamisu‑shi.
Training on Systems of Language Support for Medical Treatment of Foreigners

Aimed at municipalities and volunteer groups, we held a training meeting to disseminate information about medical translation assistance available when treating foreigners.
Training for Disaster Volunteers

We presented a lecture to registered volunteers from the head of the Nagaoka‑shi International Affairs Center, about assisting foreigners in times of disaster. In addition, there was an explanation of Ibaraki Prefecture's disaster response plans.