Date : October 18 - 26, 2016
APIC Pacific & Caribbean Journalist Fellowship 2023
post date : 2024.01.10
From October 14 to 25, 2023, the Association for Promotion of International Cooperation (APIC) held its Pacific & Caribbean Journalist Fellowship 2023. This fellowship invited journalists from the Pacific Islands and the Caribbean to cover the topic of environmental conservation and disaster prevention, with the goal of having the journalists cover Japanese techniques and initiatives which could be helpful in solving issues faced by the journalists’ home countries, and reporting on these initiatives back home. The FPCJ, under consignment by APIC, assisted with running the program, such as by arranging interviews and the schedule. This fellowship program started in 2015, and the 2023 fellowship was the seventh one to be held.
A total of five journalists participated in the program this year, four from the Pacific Islands and one from the Caribbean. Two veteran journalists from the US also joined as program coordinators to mentor the participants. Below is a list of the participants:
[Solomon Islands] Mr. Robert Iroga, Founder and Editor, Solomon Business Magazine
[Vanuatu] Ms. Anita Roberts, Reporter, Vanuatu Daily Post Newspaper
[Fiji] Ms. Shayal Devi, Reporter, The Fiji Times
[Guam] Mr. Thomas A. Manglona, II, Reporter, KUAM News TV
[Trinidad and Tobago] Mr. Ryan Bachoo, Lead Editor–Newsgathering, CNC3 Television
<Coordinators>
Mr. Floyd K. Takeuchi (Program Coordinator)
Ms. Dawn Matus (Assistant Program Coordinator)
After briefings from APIC and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tokyo, the journalists traveled for five days, covering waste disposal in Osaki, Kagoshima; recovery from torrential rains and new policies in Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto; and recovery from earthquakes and disaster education, as well as meeting with local newspaper journalists, in Minamiaso, Kumamoto. The group then returned to Tokyo, where they visited a startup company which developed a portable water purifier and met with journalists from national newspapers.
All the journalists were passionate about reporting, hoping to help solve issues in their home countries by covering cutting-edge initiatives in Japan. At the end of each day, there was a meeting led by the coordinators, Mr. Takeuchi and Ms. Matus, to go over that days coverage, followed by the fellowship journalists writing articles.
In Osaki, Kagoshima, the journalists covered the Osaki Recycling System which recycles over 80% of waste
In Kumamoto Prefecture, the journalists covered the effects of torrential rains and earthquakes
In Tokyo, the journalists covered a startup company which developed water recycling technology using AI
Below are some examples of the reporting by the participating journalists.
■Solomon Islands: Mr. Robert Iroga, Solomon Business Magazine
Japan mayor offers to support Honiara deal with waste management
https://sbm.sb/japan-mayor-offers-to-support-honiara-deal-with-waste-management/
■Vanuatu: Ms. Anita Roberts, Vanuatu Daily Post Newspaper
Get people into recycling to save landfill space
■Fiji: Ms. Shayal Devi, The Fiji Times
Disaster alert system | Bridge lights up to warn residents of flood
https://www.fijitimes.com/disaster-alert-system-bridge-lights-up-to-warn-residents-of-flood/
■Guam: Mr. Thomas A. Manglona, II, KUAM News TV
FULL SHOW | Asia-Pacific: sustainability and disaster preparedness
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWJydMzpFaQ&list=PLZojCMmMkWJ0ANVtIq5FBJ21mK4F3tadJ&index=7
■Trinidad and Tobago: Mr. Ryan Bachoo, CNC3 Television
Developing a culture of recycling