News

Director’s Report: We received a newsletter from the Haiti no Kai, a Japanese NGO that supports the KFP in the Republic of Haiti, to which two of our graduates belong.Although rarely reported in Japan, security in Haiti has deteriorated drastically since the assassination of the president three years ago, and earlier this year the country was said to be in unprecedented turmoil in all aspects: social, political, economic, and security.Especially in the capital, armed gangs controlled 80% of the capital and crime was rampant, which turned the city a lawless … Read more

Director’s Report: A retreat camp of ICU Reconciliation Forum members is being held at ARI from July 15th to 17th. This is the third camp of the group with 19 people participating, the most ever.This group, led by Williams Ikuko, is a group that studies and thinks about reconciliation, which started as an online book club during the coronavirus pandemic. ICU students, teachers, staff, and alumni gather irregularly, and soon their activities have expanded to lectures on the ICU campus, training camps outside, and participation in the Northeast Asia Christian … Read more

Director’s Report: At the end of June, ARI Thai Graduate Bumrung Khayotha passed away at the age of 73 years old. He is a graduate of 1989 and known as a legend. “He was a farmer in northeastern Thailand and led a nationwide peasants’ movement as a brilliant leader. Although some people asked him to become a member of the National Assembly, in the 2000s, he stayed in his hometown, where he had land, a house, and a family. While farming, he was pushed by the local people to serve … Read more

Director’s Report: A program for young Anglican church future leaders around the world, sponsored by the USPG of Anglican Communion is being held in collaboration with the Asian Rural Institute. (7/3~7/20) Young Anglicans in their 20s from the UK, Brazil, Bangladesh, Papua New Guinea and Japan are taking part in leadership training at ARI.

Director’s Report: A study camp for ICU students that had been planned before the COVID 19 disaster is finally being held during July 2-6. Last year, some of the ICU participants were infected by COVID 19 during the camp, and it was cancelled in the middle of the camp. This year we welcomed 14 students! They are all women and wonderful students!

Bishop Rev. Jintaro Ueda, who served as ARI’s director from 1994 to 2000 and board member from 1994 to 2008, passed away on Monday, April 8, 2024. He was 83 years old. Current director Tomoko Arakawa reflects on her memories of Rev. Ueda: “He was my first director when I joined ARI as a staff member. He had a great deal of international experience, spoke fluent English, and was very knowledgeable about the church situation in Asia and Africa. He also loved music and played the piano very well. He … Read more

Director’s Report: Yesterday, June 30, the Shimono Shimbun’s morning edition published an article in its Sunday editorial section. The article, titled “Women Moving Out: Honest Voices,” touched on the reality of young women who are not stopping moving out of the countryside.

Director’s Report: “Listen to Ms. Shinko Takami” event, 13:00-15:00. Shinko Takami (wife of Rev. Takami, ARI founder) spoke at an online event organized by Zenkoku Tomono Kai. She spoke about her life with Takami and ARI. Live online from ARI’s Oikos Chapel. About 280 people participated online! It was a very interesting talk!

Director’s Report: I will start posting!Our Super Pastor, Rev. Ban (Nishinasuno Church).Today, he is working on repairing bicycles at ARI.

This past Tuesday, June 11, we hosted our 52nd annual opening ceremony (part 2) in honor of our late-arrival participants, who hail from India, Japan, Malawi, Myanmar, and the Philippines. People work, learn, and volunteer at ARI for various amounts of time, and so many people are always coming or leaving. But no matter what, we want to make sure everyone feels welcome and included when they arrive. We were happy to welcome our new participants and hear their individual stories and resolutions for their time at ARI. They will … Read more