We Are Tomodachi Autumn / Winter 2017

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23Since the invitational program, Nomura says he’s “even more motivated to contribute to the strengthening of the Nikkei community as an essential channel for spreading the values of the Japanese people.”Nomura is also involved in the Awa-Odori Represa group, which brings the Awa-Odori, a traditional Japanese dance originating from Tokushima Prefecture, to Brazil. With a history of over 39 years, Awa-Odori Represa has performed countless times throughout Brazil. The photo is of a performance in Tokushima during a visit to Japan in 1995.Alexandre Shodi Nomura, a third-generation Nikkei. Nomura has taken charge of running Bunkyo’s main event taking place in 2018, the “Bunka Matsuri Coordination Campaign” which lets Brazilians experience Japanese culture, and he is working enthusiastically to ensure it will be a success.activities by spreading information about Japan. “A large number of Brazilians have an interest in Japan and want to travel there,” she noted. “Through the program I was able to visit Japanese companies and experience Japanese traditional culture, and it made me want to share what I learned and experienced with people like these who are interested.”Alexandre Shodi Nomura is a third-generation Nikkei Brazilian who runs his own business in Brazil. “The first- and second-generation Japanese immigrants in Brazil have contributed a lot to their communities and are held in high esteem, so much so that ‘the reliable Japanese’ has become an everyday phrase,” he says. “During the 2016 Rio Olympics, Brazilian Nikkei, despite accounting for less than 1% of the total population, were recognized and honored for their contribution to the development of Brazil. As a third-generation Nikkei, I feel both pride in my forefathers and a responsibility to strengthen friendly ties between Japan and Brazil.” Nomura works on the board of directors of the Brazilian Society of Japanese Culture and Social Assistance (Bunkyo) and was a chairman of the Junior Chamber International Brazil-Japan in 2016. He helps Japanese people in Brazil adapt to Brazilian culture, conducts various Japanese cultural programs for Brazilians, and acts as a mediator, working to connect everyone involved. In recognition of these efforts he was invited to the 2016 Latin American Next-generation Nikkei Leaders Conference organized by the Japanese government.“At the conference I exchanged ideas with young Nikkei leaders who are active in various countries, and I reconfirmed the importance of Nikkei forming their own communities in each region. I also renewed my resolve to ensure that the high regard with which Nikkei are currently held in each country is carried on by future generations, through building deeper connections among our own Nikkei communities, home countries, and Japan. I believe these relationships can heighten the recognition and trust toward Nikkei, and bring wider opportunities for each individual to actively and powerfully contribute to their own countries.” Both in and out of Japan, the Nikkei, who inherit the Japanese values passed down from Japanese emigrants to the second and third generations, are important links for strengthening the ties between Japan and their countries.