TOKYO: 22nd November '04 --  No shortage of local, actual Past Pupils of Don Bosco in Japan; upward of 10,000 of them!  But until now there has not been a national federation.  Two things have happened this year to change that - the visit of the Salesian world delegate Fr Jeronimo Monteiro in February of this year, and most recently an address not so far covered by austraLasia, given to Past Pupils gathered at Tokyo-Akabane on 30th October by non other than the Rector Major.

    On this latter occasion, Fr Pascual Chavez spoke to a small group but representative of four Salesian schools around the country.  He told them to think globally and act locally, that is to strengthen their local Chapters and seek also a (national) centre of unity for all present and future Chapters.  He also encouraged them to develop a formation plan and to seek a mission within Japanese society.

    A preparatory meeting has since taken place on 19th November to launch the National Federation.  Frs Paul Kawai and Mario Yamanouchi were the two Salesians present, along with the Regional Superior Fr Vaclav Klement.  The past pupils present expressed a desire to be guided and to establish common goals.  At the local level there are already strong units in terms of numbers - Ikuei has 6,500 names in its computer; graduation in Yokohama (Salesio Gakuin) sees a formal acceptance of graduating students as past pupils; at Osaka Seiko Gakuin, there is already an economically active group who are able to help whenever there is a concrete project at hand (such as raising some USD 10,000 for victims of the Kobe earthquake).

    An ad hoc national contact person appears to be in place now, from Yokohama.  It is the intention of at least five core members to attend the February 2005 Asia-Australia Past Pupils Congress (Kolkatta) and the new Federation would like to consider the possibility of hosting the 2009 Asia-Australia Congress in Japan.