2019.06.04
Message from the New Secretary General
Thank you for your continued support for Japan Platform (JPF).
I have assumed the position of Secretary General of JPF as of June 1st following a decision made at the first JPF board meeting for FY 2019.
Once again, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the many companies and individuals that have provided great support to JPF since it was established in 2000.
Last year, Japan was hit by a series of natural disasters including the Western Japan Floods, the Northern Osaka Prefecture Earthquake, and the Hokkaido Eastern Iburi Earthquake. The country is also still in the process of recovering, especially from the Great East Japan Earthquake and the Kumamoto Earthquake. I believe that, more than ever before, JPF must make disaster prevention efforts during non-crisis times, provide an initial response when natural disasters occur and continue to deliver aid afterwards.
When we look at what is happening overseas, the number of refugees and displaced persons are continuing to increase in areas such as the Middle East and Africa where regional disputes have become prolonged. This is an issue that is seen across the globe and is not limited to a certain area. JPF will continue to leverage the strength of Japanese NGOs to deliver carefully tailored aid.
JPF will soon be celebrating its 20th anniversary. We would like to take this opportunity to remember our founding mission which is "to expand Japanese assistance across the globe and create a world where all individuals can open a path to the future", and renew our determination to materialize our vision of enabling "cooperation to deliver effective assistance", providing "supporting for the self-reliance of affected people", and taking "leadership for NGO activities in humanitarian assistance ".
JPF will continue to take advantage of the equal partnership between NGOs, the business community and the government, to swiftly deliver aid to those in need, and we will apply your generous contributions to deliver emergency aid in the event of population displacement and natural disasters.
I would especially like to utilize my experience working in the private sector to further encourage various corporate partners to contribute by actively participating in our efforts. I also intend to take on new challenges such as bringing in universities and promoting cooperation between industry, government and academia.
I would be most grateful for your continued support and advice.
June 2019
Japan Platform
Secretary General, Takeharu Takahashi
Takeharu Takahashi
Mr. Takahashi was born on Feb. 9, 1970. He joined Ministop in 1993. After serving as Executive Officer and General Manager of Sales, he became Executive Officer and Head of Human Resources and Administration concurrently in charge of Risk Management at Aeon, where he handled risk incidents of the Aeon Group. Mr. Takahashi worked with the government to respond to the Great East Japan Earthquake, Kumamoto Earthquake, Northern Osaka Prefecture Earthquake, Hokkaido Eastern Iburi Earthquake and Western Japan Floods. He contributed to Aeon becoming the first retailer to obtain the Resilience Certification and become authorized as a Designated Public Institution under the Disaster Countermeasures Basic Act. In 2018, Mr. Takahashi became a member of the Cabinet Office Disaster Information Hub Committee and worked on disaster countermeasures in Japan while also cooperating with various embassies to respond to high-risk situations overseas--taking leadership in disaster response efforts both inside and outside Japan.
