Report and Appreciation for the 28th Asia Pacific Area Convention.

We are very happy to report that the 28th Asia Pacific Area Convention, held from 19th to 21st of July, was successfully completed with great success.
The total of 811 participants got together from in and outside of Japan at Sendai International Center and on the theme of "Action! Let's move on! " we set three key issues: (1) to confirm "the recovery" from the East Japan Great Earthquake (2) to learn about the future of disaster prevention, and (3) most importantly to enjoy fellowship among members. Thanks to active participation of all the members, the convention was a big success in elevating the awareness of those issues among the participants.
I was worried about the weather, but it was cool in Sendai. On the second day for Excursion, the weather was fine, and we all enjoyed the bus programs and shared wonderful memories. The HCC (The Host Convention Committee) was launched two years ago with main members from the Japan East and West Regions. Though we first worried about the speed of the progress of the work, we succeeded in picking up the momentum and overcame many difficulties with excellent teamwork. Not only each HCC committee member but marshals and many registered volunteers who were in full swing during the convention, all together achieved great performance. Your hard work and effort will be passed down from generation to generation. In particular, I would like to thank Sendai YMCA for their dedication to working as the core of the convention management.
I wish to extend my words of thanks to all the participants who gathered in Sendai, "Mori no Miyako" (the Capital of Forest). I would also like to express my gratitude to those who did not attend because of circumstances for their spiritual support. In addition, I thank you for letting us use the JEF, a valuable resource. A detailed report will be announced in the RD Report and the Convention Report. As Chairperson of the HCC, I would like to thank everyone and hope that this experience will be used to activate the Y's movement in Japan.
Thank you very much.

Toshiaki Yamada
Chairperson
The Host Convention Committee of the 28th Asia Pacific Area Convention

Report on the 28th Asia Pacific Area Convention

We would like to thank you again for the successful completion of the Y's Men International 28th Asia Pacific Area Convention at Sendai International Center on July 19-21, 2019.
We will report the total number of participants and donations for this convention. A total of 811 people participated in this convention, with 783 people attending the Sendai International Center and 28 people at the AYC (Area Youth Convocation) held at Kibotcha in Noburu, Higashimatsushima City. We would also like to thank all those who were involved in the convention, making the total number of participants more than 900 people, including the staff of Sendai YMCA, its vocational school students, and attraction performers. All those people helped to organize and make the convention such a big success. During the convention, there were some people who suffered from poor physical condition at AYC, but everyone was able to participate in it safely without any major accidents or injuries. The donations made during the convention were 66,909 yen for the Asia Pacific Area Natural Disaster Emergency Relief Fund (NDERF), 64,896 yen for the RBM (Rollback Malaria) contribution. And 1,050,664 yen was collected for the East Japan Great Earthquake Miyagi Children's Education and Development Fund. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Goshiro Yamamoto
General Secretary
The Host Convention Committee of the 28th Asia Pacific Area Convention

Y's Men International: the 28th Asia Pacific Area Convention
Number of Participants and Donations

Japan East Region Japan West Region Overseas participants Guests General Public Participants at the Open Lecture Meeting Total
Sendai International Center 273 269 168 3 70 783
AYC 10 5 13 0 0 28
Total 283 274 181 3 70 811

Note: This table doesn't include the Sendai YMCA staff members (10), its vocational school students (43) and excursion supporters (story narrators, etc.) and attraction performers ( Mr. Muneyuki Sato and his band members, Chorus Group of Sendai Minami High School, Sendai Sparrow Dance group and the Mossy Jazz Orchestra)

Donations Total Amount
Asia Pacific Area Natural Disaster Emergency Relief Fund (Collected at the venue of the Charity Golf Competition) 66,909JPY
Rollback Malaria (Collected at the door of the convention by Ym. Takashi Kawakami of the Kyoto Palace Club) 64,896JPY
East Japan Great Earthquake Miyagi Children's Education and Development Fund 1,050,664JPY

Edward Ong

Asia Pacific Area Convention Committee Chairperson

It was not so longer ago that Asia Area lost Korea when they set off to form their own Korea Area. And, Asia Area shrank significantly. Nevertheless, we have had the addition of Australia two years ago and we are now known as the Asia Pacific Area.We had our last wonderful Convention in the beautiful city of Chiangmai, Thailand. We now sound the call for all Members and their families to assemble next year in Sendai. Our Host Committee is working hard to organise an exciting programme to tease your senses for a lifelong experience. You will immerse yourself in the cultural appreciation, appreciate the historical events that have shaped the human lives, enjoy local delights and bring home wonderful memories once again.This is the opportunity to meet up with old friends, connect with new ones, engage with your respective Brother Clubs and learn more about the movement.Take the opportunity too to extend your time to visit nearby counties and the big city.Get your Clubs to start planning and organising your attendance. Be there with us!

Hiroyuki Tanaka

2018- 2020 Area President, Asia Pacific Area
On March 11, 2011, the unprecedented earthquake of magnitude 9 and subsequent vast tsunami as high as 40m attacked the north east coastal area of Japan. Nearly 20,000 people died and still over 2,500 are missing.The 28th Asia Pacific Area Convention is going to be held in Sendai, the central major city of the devastated area. I thank you very much, Japan East Region and Japan West Region, for willingly accepting my proposal and having been working hard for the planning and preparation. One of the highlights of the Convention is one full-day tour of the affected area. Please see how the area has been reconstructed and what are the challenges that still exist. The Asia Pacific Area has been struck by many natural disasters. I would like this Convention to be a good opportunity for you to think about what Y's Men and Women and Y's Menettes can do at the times of natural disasters and how Y's Men's Clubs can collaborate effectively with YMCAs.I hope that this Convention, with many participants, will deepen our friendship, stimulate and encourage each other and provide you with the energy to start taking actions.Looking forward to seeing you all in Sendai!

Toshiaki Yamada

The 28th Asia Pacific Area Convention
Host Convention Committee Chairperson
The 28th Asia Pacific Area Convention will be held from July 19th to 21st, 2019, in Sendai, the City of Trees, under the theme of "Action! Let's Move On!" The Japan East and Japan West Regions will work together to host you.We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your emergency assistance and long-term support for reconstruction after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. At the same time, we would like to ask everyone to help us pump up the convention with a future vision for the devastated areas. By doing so, it is hoped that everyone will feel something at the convention that will drive him to move on and start taking actions.Please join us and play a part in making the Convention full of Y's good spirit.We will be waiting for you in Sendai, the major city of the Tohoku (northeast) Area in Japan.