She made the remarks while speaking at the 12th Munakata International Environmental Conference in Fukuoka Prefecture on Sunday (Oct. 26), which drew more than 200 participants from around the world.
“One of the answers we were seeking turned out to lie within the fireworks tradition,” Ijuin said in a statement received in Jakarta on Tuesday.
She highlighted the symbolic significance of Japan’s fireworks heritage as a bridge for cross-cultural collaboration, including with Indonesia.
She cited the collaboration between Japan’s Wakino Art Factory, a traditional fireworks producer from Kitakyushu, and Indonesia’s Nolimits Fireworks, which led to the first launch of Japan-made fireworks in Indonesia since World War II during the Jember Fashion Carnival (JFC).
“That night, tens of thousands of people looked up at the same sky. Fireworks became a bridge of light connecting people to people, nation to nation,” she said.
Ijuin also introduced three new international initiatives by the Sakuranesia Foundation: an interfaith dialogue titled “Miidera × Islamic Wisdom,” an environmental education program using football, and a cultural exchange project that will showcase Japan’s Dashi (festival float frames) at the JFC.
“From local to global — this mutual support embodies the essence of ‘Glocal’ in the new era,” Ijuin stated.
The conference, which opened on Saturday (Oct. 25), also featured a video message from Fukuoka Governor Seitaro Hattori, who outlined the prefecture’s initiatives to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
With the theme “Think Global, Act Local,” the forum provided a platform for nations to exchange ideas on addressing climate change and building environmentally resilient communities.
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Translator: Andi, Aria Ananda
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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