A Japanese government program that sends volunteers to developing countries, and that marks its 60th year of operations this year, has been facing challenges securing personnel amid declining public interest in development assistance.
The cumulative number of people dispatched under the initiative, which started as the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers program in April 1965, has topped 58,000, with destination countries totaling 99.
On Thursday, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) held a ceremony in Tokyo to commemorate the 60-year milestone.
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