Appointment of New National General Secretary, the National Council of YMCAs of Japan & Retirement and Inauguration Ceremony of the National General Secretary, the National Council of YMCAs of Japan

Appointment of New National General Secretary, the National Council of YMCAs of Japan & Retirement and Inauguration Ceremony of the National General Secretary, the National Council of YMCAs of Japan

We are pleased to inform you of an upcoming leadership transition at the National Council of YMCAs of Japan.

Tsutomu Taguchi, National General Secretary of the National Council of YMCAs of Japan will end his term and will retire on 31 March 2026.

Tadahiro Ota will be appointed as the new National General Secretary effective April 1, 2026, succeeding Tsutomu Taguchi.  Mr. Ota's term of NGS will be for four years, from April 1, 2026, to March 31, 2030.

On 20 March 2026, the Retirement and Inauguration  Ceremony of the National General Secretary was held at the United Church of Christ in Japan’s Bancho Church (in Tokyo). With over 100 people from both Japan and overseas in attendance, the ceremony was conducted in a solemn atmosphere, accompanied by the magnificent sound of the pipe organ.

The ceremony included a worship service and the handover of the Bible, presided over by Rev. Motoo Nakamichi (Board Member of the NCYJ and President of the Kobe YMCA), as well as a congratulatory address from Nam Boo Won, General Secretary of the APAY. Video messages were received from World YMCA President Soheila Hayek and General Secretary Carlos Sanvee, expressing their gratitude and appreciation to General Secretary Tsutomu Taguchi, and welcoming the new General Secretary, Tadahiro Ota.

It was a time to share our collective hope for an end to all wars taking place around the world, for the reconstruction of disaster-stricken areas, and for peace, and to unite our thoughts once again in building the society to which the YMCA aims.

We would like to introduce the new National General Secretary, Tadahiro Ota.

Tadahiro Ota, was born on 28 December 1960 and is 65 years old.  He studied Law at Kwansei Gakuin University and was a member of the Glee Club during his time at university.

After graduating, he worked for a private company before participating in a work camp in the Philippines organised by the Japan Asian Association in December 1985, an experience that left a profound impression on him. He subsequently joined the Kobe YMCA in April 1986.

At the Kobe YMCA, he was responsible for cram school, outdoor activities and community initiatives at YMCAs in Nishinomiya, Takarazuka and elsewhere, before being seconded to the Okayama YMCA in 1991. Due to the effects of the 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, he transferred to the Okayama YMCA.

In 2005, he was appointed as the 4th General Secretary of the Okayama YMCA. In 2013, following the Okayama YMCA’s conversion into a public interest incorporated foundation, the organisation was renamed YMCA Setouchi, and he was appointed as its Representative Director.

Since then, he has served as General Secretary of YMCA Setouchi to the present day, during which time he has held the positions of Vice-Chair of the Japan YMCA General Secretaries’ Meeting and in charge of after-school, English education and international relations.

He currently serves as a part-time lecturer at Kawasaki University of Medical Welfare, a director of the Okayama Homeless Support NPO Kizuna, and an executive member of the Okayama Christian Disaster Relief Office.  He is also a member of the Okayama Y's Men's Club.

By Utako Sugino

Director, the National Council of YMCAs of Japan