Asian Women's Empowerment Project (AWEP)

07/05/2026

Hi! This time's topic is marriage in France and Japan.

\Intern Selma's Perspective/🧐

Marriage: France vs Japan
Japan and France have very different perspectives on marriage. So I thought it’d be interesting to compare the two. Let’s look at 2019:
France:
212,415 marriages
Average age:
• Men: 38.7 years old
• Women: 36.2 years old
Japan
~598,965 marriages
Average age:
• Men: 31.2 years old
• Women: 29.6 years old
Japan had almost 3x more marriages mainly due to a larger population.

People marry much later in France, 7.5 years later for men and 6.6 years later for women.
Marriage rates are falling in both countries:

In Japan the decline started around the 1970s while in France we notice a sharper drop since the early 2000s.
The meaning of marriage is different;

In Japan, marriage is still closely tied to family structure and social expectations

In France, it has become just one option among many. People prefer civil unions (PACS) as a simpler alternative and less responsibility. There is a greater acceptance of living together without marrying because of the low social and religious pressure.

30/04/2026

＜参加者募集！＞
地域に暮らす外国人のための同行支援ボランティア入門講座

主催　（特活）アジア女性自立プロジェクト
協力　（特活）NGO神戸外国人救援ネット
　　 　 マサヤン タハナン (フィリピン人コミュニティ）
　
ことばや手続きに不安を感じている外国人の方に寄り添い、日常生活を支える「同行支援ボランティア」の基礎を学びます。修了後、希望すればボランティアとして登録し、活動に参加することができます。

【日時】（全2回）
2026年5月23日（土） 13:30-16:45
2026年5月31日（日） 13:30-16:45

【会場】
長田区文化センター講習室（３）
〒653-0038 神戸市長田区若松町5丁目5番1号
https://www.kobe-bunka.jp/facilities/nagata/

【定員】　　15名
【参加費】　無料

【申込方法】
下記いずれかの方法でお申し込みください
1 電話：078-734-3633（受付時間：月～木　10時～16時）
2 メール：[email protected]
3 Webフォーム：下のURLからアクセス
https://forms.gle/a9WSxtvm6JsikxK47

【プログラム】
5月23日（土）
　13:30～　ケースワークの基礎～相談者との適切な関係作り
講師　村松紀子 さん
　　　　　　　 　スペイン語通訳相談員・社会福祉士
　15:15～　日常の見過ごされやすい差別～マイクロアグレッションについて学ぶ
講師　朴利明 さん　
　　　　　　　　 (一財)アジア・太平洋人権情報センター(ヒューライツ大阪)研究員
5月31日（日）
　13:30～　地域の外国人とともに暮らす
講師　北村広美 さん　
　　　　　　　　 多文化共生センターひょうご代表
　15:15～　研修まとめ ～ グループディスカッション・ロールプレイ

27/04/2026

Selma's thinking about fairtrade again.

\Intern Selma's Perspective/

Fair Trade: France vs Japan

I thought it would be interesting to compare fair trade in France and Japan, especially since we’ve seen that it’s still developing slowly in Japan.
From my personal experience as a French person, I’ve noticed that consumers in France are increasingly attracted to organic (BIO) and locally sourced products. More broadly, there’s a growing awareness and effort to consume more ethically. These kinds of products are often expensive, but even middle- and lower-income consumers are starting to buy them.

Let’s look at the numbers:
In 2024, the fair trade market in Japan represented about €215 million (¥21.5 billion)
In France, it reached €2.65 billion (¥494.6 billion)
That’s more than 10 times bigger in France.
Companies involved:
France: 600+ companies engaged in fair trade
Japan: around 220 companies

Main products:
Japan: coffee, cocoa, tea
France: coffee, sugar, dairy products

This shows how cultural habits and market structures shape fair trade consumption differently in each country.
Even if many factors explain these differences (history, awareness, regulation, consumer behavior…), it raises an interesting question:
Should fair trade organizations in Japan (like AWEP) expand internationally in order to increase their growth and profitability?

23/04/2026

Selma san from France will share her unique perspective on the story of Japanese society. Today's story is as follows:

\Intern Selma's Perspective/

Women’s vocational education in Japan: how education, gender and work are connected.
In Japan during the 1920s-1930s, vocational education for women expanded rapidly. Many schools were created, and more and more women gained access to training. However, this education was not neutral: it was largely oriented toward what society considered “appropriate” for women, such as sewing, handicrafts, cooking, or beauty-related professions.
It was often linked to the ideal of the “good wife and wise mother,” showing that even when women accessed education, it remained shaped by patriarchal norms.
However, at the same time, this expansion of vocational education opened new opportunities. Women began entering a wider range of jobs such as clerical work, typing, retail, and other new professions, partly thanks to these training systems.
This reminded me of a well-known research topic in France: schools can reproduce social inequalities. In other words, students from wealthier and more educated families often have more chances to succeed than those from less privileged backgrounds. French schooling system reinforces this process.
So, this topic raises an important question: to what extent can education be both a tool of social reproduction and a pathway for change?

16/04/2026

\Intern Selma's Perspective/
Indonesian women are turning constraints into power
I recently came across an article that really struck me.
In Indonesia, many women are still limited by strong patriarchal norms, where men are seen as the main breadwinners. Because of this, women are often pushed into “feminine” jobs like textile work (sewing or crafting), often done from home.
But here’s what I find fascinating: in France, feminists often fight to escape so-called “feminine jobs,” aiming for equal or sometimes “better” positions than men. In Indonesia, many women are doing the opposite. They are transforming these roles into a tool for empowerment.
Instead of rejecting these roles, they are reclaiming them.
They are turning a space of limitation into a space of power
They use what society confines them to, namely textile work, as a way to build income, community, and independence.
And it works: on average, women-led textile entrepreneurship has increased income by about 7.1%, helping many gain financial autonomy.
AWEP assists Indonesian women in this process by working with .handicraft to develop their skills and promote their creations.
This made me wonder. Is empowerment always about escaping or emancipating, or can it also be about transforming what already exists?

13/04/2026

\Intern Selma's Perspective/
Hello everyone!
My name is Selma, and I am an intern from France currently working with AWEP. I am pursuing a master’s degree in social sciences, and during my time here, I will be sharing insights and reflections from my research on Japan and NGOs.
Through my readings (academic litteratures), I will explore topics such as fair trade, immigration in Japan, gender inequality, and women’s empowerment. My goal is to highlight key notions for you (and me) 😁 to better understand AWEP’s work.
I hope my articles will spark your curiosity and encourage you to learn more about these important topics.
You can already read today’s article about fair trade in Japan! Hope you all like it!

13/04/2026

\Intern Selma's Perspective/
Is fair trade really growing in Japan?
Fair trade is often defined as “a trading partnership based on dialogue, transparency, and respect that seeks greater equity in international trade.”
Introduced in Japan in 1993, the fair trade market has been steadily growing ever since.
By 2015, it reached 100 million JPY. An increase of 62 million JPY in just five years.
This growth shows a rising awareness among Japanese consumers, especially when fair trade helps improve the quality of life for people and even animals.
But awareness doesn’t always lead to action.
Despite this progress, fair trade is still not part of everyday consumption for many people in Japan.
One major reason? Accessibility. These products are still not easy to find in daily life.
This is where AWEP makes a difference.
By offering fair trade and handmade products, the organization supports women in becoming financially independent while making ethical consumption more accessible.
What about you? Would you be willing to buy from the fair trade market? Share your story with us!

01/04/2026

セルマさん　Day1
インターンのセルマさん、フランスから本日到着しました。
お土産をスーツケースにいっぱい持って事務所に来てくれました。
これから3か月間、どうぞよろしくお願いします。
Selma, Day 1
Intern Selma arrived today from France.
She came to the office with a suitcase full of souvenirs.
We look forward to working with you for the next three months.

26/03/2026

【春のおすすめアイテム】

春から新しい仕事や進学で環境が変わる方もいらっしゃると思います。
仕事や勉学の気分が上がるアイテムをご紹介します。
フィリピン・ランパラハウスからのおすすめ定番アイテムは、マルチケースです。
ジッパーがうっかり半開きでも中身が全部落ちてしまわないようにと手提げの位置も工夫されていたり、大きく開くので中身が確認しやすかったりと利便性も抜群。
内側の布がフィリピン各地の伝統の織物になっています。プレゼントにもピッタリ。色目はいろいろと取り揃えていますが、売り切れの際はご容赦ください。

お買い物はオンラインショップからどうぞ！
https://awep.thebase.in/items/49561744
●製品番号：FW25-PO01
●素材：綿（内側と持ち手はハブロン織、ビナコル織のフィリピンの手織り布）
●色：外側はベージュ、内側は製品によりバラエティあり
＊色目のバリエーションは種類から選んでいただけます。写真中のアイテム名をご覧ください。色目の選択をお任せいただくこともできます。
●サイズ：20センチ×13センチ×6センチ（持ち手10センチ）
●生産者：ランパラハウス（フィリピン）https://lamparahouse.jimdofree.com

04/03/2026

2月23日に実施したメンタルヘルスセミナーのテーマは、大切な何かを失った後の心のことについてでした。お互いの経験や気持ちをシェアしました。涙も笑いもあり、充実した時間となりました。ご参加ありがとうございました。また次回が決まりましたら、ご案内します。

In behalf of Asian Women's Empowerment Project (AWEP) and Masayang Tahanan Filipino Community, we’d like to take this opportunity to thank everybody who joined us on-site as well as online in making our 6th Mental Health Seminar collaboration truly successful.
The purpose of this workshop is to allow respondents to release and lighten the burden they’re carrying due to loss. The sharing revolved around the ambiguous loss which all the respondents related into their own personal experience like being uprooted from our hometown (Philippines) and survive in another country (Japan ) to be with our husband and kids. Although, it’s still inevitable not to get into the issue of the loss of a loved one. The greatest achievement in this whole seminar is how Filipinos tried to accept the realities of life. There’s also this discussion that showed the standpoint of a child to her parent and vice versa. It truly was an insightful, emotional and very Filipino type of sharing. Somehow, we felt like we are on the same boat. The loss of a loved one, the loss of your dream, the loss of identity, the loss of self worth….are among the many things a migrant would experience. Thus, having a place where you could belong and accepted like a Community is important. That learning a new language is also a way of coping up as we move onto our journey. Special thanks to Hiromi Yamauchi sensei for engaging the participants with her insights. Filipino’s felt happy when they are listening to your Tagalog. It made them warm.
We all went home recharged with a happy tummy, after eating our Filipino snack, home cooked by a Filipino mother.
Hopefully, more participants could come next time and share their own experience, so that others could learn from them. Until our next Mental Health Seminar.

14/01/2026

1995年1月17日阪神・淡路大震災が起こりました。自分の身は自分で守る。そのための徐ぷ方を手に入れましょう。「Sikatan ng Liwanag ang 1.17 KOBE sa Nagata 」Ang ibentong ito ay ginaganap taon-taon simula noong Ener...