{"id":67017,"date":"2026-07-31T14:49:01","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T14:49:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/67017\/"},"modified":"2026-07-31T14:49:01","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T14:49:01","slug":"nuclear-energy-agency-nea-milestone-in-mentoring-future-stem-leaders-nea-celebrates-10th-joshikai-in-tokyo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/67017\/","title":{"rendered":"Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) – Milestone in mentoring future STEM leaders: NEA celebrates 10th Joshikai in Tokyo"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

NEA Director-General William D. Magwood, IV welcomes participants of the 10th\u00a0NEA International Mentoring Workshop in Japan.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The NEA held\u00a0its10th International Mentoring Workshop in Japan, known as \u201cJoshikai\u201d, marking a major milestone in\u00a0the\u00a0nearly decade-long\u00a0initiative to encourage\u00a0young women to explore opportunities in science, technology,\u00a0engineering\u00a0and mathematics (STEM).\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Organised in co-operation with the Japan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC) and hosted by the Tokyo City University in Shibuya, Tokyo from 24 to 27 July 2026, the anniversary edition brought together 42 female high school students from Japan, Romania and the United States for four days of mentoring offered by accomplished female scientists, engineers, researchers and regulators from Japan and abroad.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Joshikai<\/p>\n

\"Joshikai\u00a0<\/p>\n

Opening remarks by Mitsuru Uesaka, Chairperson of the Japan Atomic Energy Commission, and Tomonari Yashiro, President of Tokyo City University\u00a0<\/p>\n

The opening ceremony featured\u00a0congratulatory messages from Kimi Onoda, Japan\u2019s Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy, and\u00a0Aiko Shimajiri,\u00a0former Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, the world is facing major challenges, including climate change and energy security,\u201d said Minister Onoda.\u00a0\u201cScience, technology, and innovation are essential to address these challenges, and nuclear energy has\u00a0an important role\u00a0to play. At the same time, the progress of the nuclear field depends on the participation of diverse and talented people.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Former Minister Shimajiri recalled the discussions that led to the creation of Joshikai,\u00a0reflecting\u00a0on\u00a0a meeting with NEA Director-General Magwood in 2015 when the idea was first proposed. \u201cAt that time, as a female\u00a0Minister responsible for science and technology, I believed that encouraging diverse talent, including women, to enter these fields would stimulate innovation and contribute to social and economic development.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Welcome remarks were delivered by William D. Magwood, IV, Director-General of the NEA, Mitsuru Uesaka, Chairperson of the Japan Atomic Energy Commission, and Tomonari Yashiro, President of Tokyo City University.<\/p>\n

\"Joshikai<\/p>\n

\"Joshikai\u00a0<\/p>\n

Co-chairs of the 10th\u00a0Joshikai: Yeonhee Hah, Senior Capacity Building Officer,\u00a0International Nuclear Safety School (INSS) of the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS); and Yukiko Okada, Visiting Professor, Tokyo City University\u00a0<\/p>\n

Throughout the workshop,\u00a0mentees\u00a0engaged in small-group discussions\u00a0with\u00a0their mentors, creating opportunities for meaningful dialogue on future studies and career aspirations. The programme was complemented by guest\u00a0lectures\u00a0on artificial intelligence, space\u00a0missions\u00a0and uranium exploration, as well as a poster session featuring female researchers and testimonials from workshop alumni reflecting on the role\u00a0Joshikai\u00a0had played in shaping their educational choices. By interacting with professionals from diverse backgrounds, participants broadened their understanding of the many career opportunities available in STEM, from nuclear science and regulation to research and emerging technologies.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"JoshikaiParticipants of the 10th\u00a0Joshikai\u00a0at Tokyo City University in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan\u00a0<\/p>\n

During student presentations, mentees shared their reflections on the workshop, highlighting greater confidence in their abilities and a deeper understanding of the diverse career opportunities available in STEM fields.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The workshop concluded with a visit to the Institute of Science Tokyo, where participants learned about robotics,\u00a0mechatronics\u00a0and energy research.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The 10th edition was organised with the support of Hitachi, Constellation, Nuclearelectrica, Chiyoda Technol, Toshiba, Mitsubishi and Zetta Joule.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \"IMG<\/p>\n

\"IMG During the visit to the Institute of Science Tokyo, participants learnt about the applications of robotics in the nuclear field,\u00a0medicine\u00a0and agriculture\u00a0<\/p>\n

The\u00a0NEA International Mentoring Workshops<\/a>\u00a0initiative\u00a0was first launched by the NEA in Japan in 2017.\u00a0Organised\u00a0in partnership with governments, research institutions, universities, regulators and international\u00a0organisations, the\u00a0programme\u00a0has evolved from a national mentoring workshop into an international initiative\u00a0encouraging\u00a0the participation of young women in STEM and nuclear-related fields.\u00a0Over\u00a0nearly a\u00a0decade, the\u00a0programme\u00a0has delivered 29 mentoring workshops across 11 countries and 4 continents, inspiring more than 800 students and young professionals to explore opportunities in science,\u00a0technology\u00a0and engineering.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Joshikai<\/p>\n

\"Joshikai<\/p>\n

\"Joshikai<\/p>\n

\"Joshikai\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Moments from the 10th\u00a0Joshikai\u00a0in Tokyo, Japan<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEA Director-General William D. Magwood, IV welcomes participants of the 10th\u00a0NEA International Mentoring Workshop in Japan.\u00a0 The NEA…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":67018,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[251,43559,8,43558,27878,52],"class_list":["post-67017","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tokyo","tag-education","tag-gender-balance","tag-japan","tag-news-brief","tag-stem","tag-tokyo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67017","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67017"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67017\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67018"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67017"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67017"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67017"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}