Nearly 2,000 volunteers had a chance to visit the Nippon Maru cruise liner and attended a ceremony to bid farewell to members of the youth exchange program organized by the Cabinet Office of Japan and governments of Southeast Asian countries to promote friendship and mutual understanding among youths of the 10 Southeast Asian countries and Japan.
Last Tuesday the Nippon Maru with 329 youths from the 10 ASEAN countries and Japan on board arrived in HCMC, the third destination of the cruise to 11 countries in nearly two months. The participating youths joined a city tour to learn about local culture and stayed with local host families.
The participating youths are outstanding people and regarded as future leaders of each country.
The program was established in 1974 based on an agreement between Japan and Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Since 2000, the program has expanded to all the 10 ASEAN countries.
The Ship for Southeast Asian and Japanese Youth Program is an annual youth exchange program organised by the Cabinet Office of Japan (CaO) and governments of Southeast Asian countries for the purpose of promoting friendship and mutual understanding among the youths of the ten Southeast Asian countries and Japan, to broaden their perspective on the world, and furthermore, to strengthen their spirit of international cooperation and practical skills for international collaboration. Since its inception in 1974, the program has organised 41 international voyages attended by youth delegations sent by governments of respective members.
