14th National Council Meeting of YMCAs of Japan

Last Updated (Saturday, 28 June 2025 13:30)

14th National Council Meeting of YMCAs of Japan

The National Council Meeting of YMCAs of Japan, an annual gathering of YMCA representatives from local YMCAs in Japan, was held on June 21 from the afternoon to June 22 at the YMCA Tozanso. Approximately 140 participants from YMCAs across Japan joined the Council meeting.

This year, Mr. Carlos Sanvee, Secretary General, World YMCA and Razvan Sassu, staff, World YMCA were invited, as special guests, for the meeting. They discuss and share ideas on how to accelerate Vision 2030.

The first day of the meeting agenda focused on annual reports of 2024 and plans of 2025 for the National Council of YMCAs of Japan. Carlos Sanvee, Secretary General of the World YMCA, delivered the keynote speech titled “The World YMCA Today.” He addressed how we can overcome division, the situations in Palestine and Ukraine, and what the YMCA should do in this rapidly changing society.  The call “We are one YMCA” brought the attendees to their feet, and the hall was filled with energy.

The second day, Mr. Razvan Sassu, head of Strategy and Policy, World YMCA, organized a workshop on Vision 2030 - “What can you do to promote Vision 2030?“  The workshop was interesting, with the quiz, meaningful, and participants enjoyed it while deepening their understanding of Vision 2030.

The Sunday Worship was led by Rev. Motoo Nakamichi, a board member, and he delivered a sermon titled “To Create a Just World” to commemorate the 80 years since World War II.

Through the two days of learning, we renewed our commitment to peace and confirmed to continue working toward the realization of Vision 2030 by strengthening our global collaboration and engaging in activities that address the needs of local communities.

After participating in “The National Council Meeting of YMCAs of Japan”, Carlos and Razvan visited Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, and Hiroshima.

Mr. Carlos Sanvee, Secretary General, World YMCA and Razvan Sassu, staff member of the World YMCA visited Hiroshima together with Mr. Tsutomu Taguchi, National General Secretary, the National Council of YMCAs of Japan and Mr. Harushi Kemori, General Secretary of the Hiroshima YMCA

On June 24, Mr. Carlos Sanvee and Mr. Razvan Sassuu visited the Hiroshima YMCA and toured the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. They listened to testimonies from Mr. Tomoyuki Mimaki and Mr. Kunihiko Sakuma of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo), which received the Nobel Peace Prize last year.

Having witnessed the threat of the atomic bomb firsthand, Carlos remarked, “We must take action to realize a world without nuclear weapons for future generations. Together with the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations and the YMCA in Japan, the World YMCA will also work to share the testimonies of atomic bomb sufferers.” He then laid flowers at the Atomic Bomb Memorial Monument.

Additionally, Carlos expressed his deep respect for the Hiroshima YMCA, which has worked with atomic bomb sufferers to achieve peace since the immediate World War II.

By – Sugino Utako

NCY of Japan