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An Overview of MISHOP

Information about MISHOP

MISHOP provides citizens with various programs to enhance their international awareness by encouraging them to participate in international exchange activities. MISHOP volunteers provide a wide range of support services for foreign residents in Japan to lead comfortable lives. MISHOP was established for the purpose of encouraging citizens to heighten their international awareness and so carry out various support activities on a volunteer basis.

MISHOP was founded in November 1989, and reorganized in November 1996 as an incorporated foundation to strengthen the structure. The City of Mitaka fully owns its basic assets.

The main activities consist of the following six programs: “Assistance for citizen-driven International activity”; “International exchange programs in the community”; “Educational and promotional programs to enhance international understanding;” “Information dissemination on international exchange”; “Administration of management and operation duties entrusted its International Exchange Center” and “Other necessary activities to attain the purpose of MISHOP,” thereby promoting the internationalization of the community in cooperation with Mitaka City.

These activities are mainly funded from the subsidies of Mitaka City and the annual membership fees in three categories: individuals, students and organizations--including universities/colleges in the city active in international exchanges.

Many of activities are carried out by each of the committees such as Committee for Promoting Citizen Exchange Activities, Committee for Planning Youth Program, Committee for International Understanding, Committee for Planning and Public Relation, Committee for MISHOP World Festival, following their discussion and consideration. Whenever necessary, a project team may be separately established.

Besides these MISHOP-driven activities, our members have started up various groups of their own to further the goals of the society.

Prospectus of Mitaka InternationalSociety for Hospitality (MISHOP)

With the wave of globalization havingsurged at a remarkable pace duringthe last few years, together with the　evolution of an information network, the world is certainly getting small.In the local communities, the number of foreign residents has rapidlyincreased, making the issue ofinternationalization familiar to everyone. However, both readiness to accept foreigners as neighbors and multicultural understanding still haveneed for improvement. This reality makes it a matter of urgency for cities and towns which are directlyin contact with their citizens also todeal with the issue of internationali-zation.

Mitaka City established MISHOP as avoluntary body in November,1989.With the revision of the City’s 2ndBasic Policy in March,1996, the City decided on the fundamental directionof its internationalization initiatives and aims to promote citizens’ international awareness through their international exchange while also striving to ensure that foreign residents in the City lead more comfortable lives.

As a principal undertaking, the Cityencourages international awarenesscentering on education; it alsoprovides services such as descriptionin romaji alongside Japanese of theresidential guide book as well as forthe signs inside the Municipal Office. For programs, it offers advisory and information services in foreignlanguages. At present, a variety of international exchange activities by citizens themselves, are in progress while business enterprises also actively accept interns from abroad. At the individual level,such activities as teaching Japanese to foreigners on a one-on-one basis, have become popular. In all this, there is stillincreasing demand for the City to promote its internationalization policy.

Such citizen activities initiatedby residents together with support from the sidelines by the Cityare more important than ever – likecomplementary wheels to drive avehicle forward.

At present, the scope of MISHOP’sactivities is expanding and thecitizens’ international awareness isgradually increasing. At the sametime, as witnessed in the previousHanshin-Awaji Great Earthquake, the question of how to take care of foreign residents at the time of natural disaster, has received increasing attention as an issue which needs tobe dealt with by a more solidly organized system.

As citizens and the government workin tandem to implement internationalexchange, in order to promote the citizens’ international awareness ,it isnecessary for the organization to befurther developed and for itsactivities to be vitalized. Furthermore, those international exchange initiatives by citizens should be more locally orientated, even as an environ-ment is created in which activities spontaneously initiated by citizens are readily feasible.

Consequently, the current MISHOP as a voluntary body, is to beprogressively reformed into anincorporated foundation – a newMISHOP , which is to aim at promoting citizens’ international awareness, as it deepens mutualfriendship and realizes international understanding in the true sense of the word- so that MISHOP may contribute toward world peace.

Articles of Contribution of MISHOP

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Policy Directives and Activity Plans

　　Policy Directives and Activity Plans

Plan, Budget, Activity Report and Financial Settlement Report

●　Fiscal year 2011
　　Activity Plan・Budget　（274KB PDF, Japanese）

●　Fiscal year 2010
　　Activity Plan・Budget　（257KB PDF, Japanese）
　　Board of Directors　（19KB PDF, Japanese）
　　Activity Report・Financial Settlement Report　（576KB PDF , Japanese）

●　Fiscal year 2009
　　Activity Plan ( 115KB PDF, Japanese )
　　Budget ( 337KB PDF, Japanese )
　　Activity Report・Financial Settlement Report　（247KB PDF , Japanese）

●　Fiscal year 2008
　　Activity Plan ( 70KB PDF, Japanese )
　　Budget ( 44KB PDF, Japanese )
　　Activity Report・Financial Settlement Report　（258KB PDF , Japanese）
　　Board of Directors　（46KB PDF , Japanese）

●　Fiscal year 2007
　　Activity Report 1 ( 93KB PDF, Japanese )
　　Activity Report 2 ( 45KB PDF, Japanese )
　　Financial Settlement Report 1 ( 93KB PDF, Japanese )
　　Financial Settlement Report 2 ( 62KB PDF, Japanese )