Exegesis Jedidiah N. Ebarle, a 3^rd year BS Agribusiness Economics student of the University of the Philippines Mindanao, was one of the chosen delegates to participate in the Japan-ASEAN Student Conference held last 13 to 19 November 2009 at Tokyo and Sendai, Japan. It was organized and sponsored by the Japan-East Asia Network for Exchange Students and Youths (JENESYS). Through this kind of cooperative activities, a network will be created between the youths who will play an important role in future exchanges between Japan and ASEAN.

 

 

 

The conference achieved a final output of a joint statement regarding the cooperation between Japan and the 10 ASEAN Countries (Philippines, Myanmar, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos and Indonesia). The statement encompasses three themes – Economics, Environment, and Regional Identity. The statement was presented to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in November 18, 2009 and will be submitted to the ASEAN and Japan government for its corresponding actions and implementations.

 

In Ms. Ebarle’s one-week stay in Tokyo and Sendai, she has gained a lot of learning through the keynote speeches of notable speakers and group discussions and also brought with her a lot of fond memories with her newfound friends. Now, she can say that she is all the more motivated to take part in various relevant activities that can help uplift her beloved country’s economy, particularly in the area of market integration.