In September 2018, at the Technology Center of TÜV Rheinland Japan, a 4-day workshop on "Advanced Conference on Safety Technology" was held for national institutions of ASEAN countries and engineers of national laboratories. This workshop was implemented as part of a technical support activity for the project Capacity Building for Conformity Assessment for Information Technology Equipment (ITE) in ASEAN Member States supported by the Government of Japan through the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF). In this project, workshops on topics such as product safety, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) test method, test equipment, standards, etc., were held in Japan, Indonesia, and Viet Nam for five times from June 2018 to December 2018.

One hundred thirty-two (132) college students from the ten (10) ASEAN member states and Timor Leste will visit Japan to participate in the "ASEAN Student Conference" from February 19 to 26. In the conference, university students from Japan and the participating countries are divided into groups based on six subjects. They will listen to lectures, visit related facilities, exchange opinions with the stakeholders, and hold workshops under the common theme of "what youths in Asia can do to realize a sustainable world." Before returning home, the participants will announce the "Declaration of Action" as the output of the conference in Tokyo. In addition, they will visit farmers and have exchanges with local high school students.

The JENESYS2018 is an exchange programme for the youths of Japan and ASEAN.

On February 7, H.E. Kazuo Sunaga, Ambassador of Japan to ASEAN, attended the preliminary seminar of the research project on “Lessons Learned from a Process of Conflict Resolution between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) as Mediated by Indonesia, 1993- 1996” held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia in Jakarta. The Government of Japan supports this project through Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF). Ambassador Sunaga emphasized the importance of the project and expressed his hope that the outcome of the project would contribute to the conflict resolution in the ASEAN region. The attendees to the seminar included H.E. Rezlan Izhar Jenie, Executive Director, ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation, H.E. Jose Tavares, Director General of ASEAN Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, and Permanent Representatives of ASEAN Member States, as well as Mr. Naoyuki Ochiai, who has engaged in the process of the Mindanao Peace Process as a member of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for a long time.

Delegates gathered at the inception workshop to discuss ways climate change projections can be integrated into training and risk assessments within ASEAN countries. This workshop serves as an enriching forum for experts and participants to exchange needs and expectations as ASEAN Member States (AMSs) move towards building people's resilience to disasters.

The workshop is the first of many exciting milestones for our Disaster Risk Reduction by Integrating Climate Change Projections into Flood and Landslide Risk Assessment program, in collaboration with the ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management (ACDM) Working Group of Prevention and Mitigation, the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies and CTI Engineering International, with support from the Government of Japan through the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF).

Five (5) participants who are involved in support of persons with disabilities/victims of Agent Orange defoliants in Viet Nam will visit Japan from February 12 to 19, as a part of JENESYS2018.

The delegates will visit Tokyo, Kyoto Prefecture, and Hyogo Prefecture under the theme of "Exchange in Supporting Children with Disabilities." They will visit theme-related facilities and historical buildings. In addition, they will deepen their understanding of Japan through experiencing traditional Japanese culture and having exchange with the local residents.

The JENESYS2018 is an exchange programme for the youths of Japan and ASEAN.