The Genron NPO is pleased to announce that its official English Web site was renewed Nov. 26 so that the voices of the Japanese on global issues can be heard by people worldwide.

In Japan, there are a variety of opinions held by people who desire to pursue peace and contribute to the solution of global issues. It is one of the goals The Genron NPO set 14 years ago to make such popular voices much stronger, to deliver them to the rest of the world and to address the task of solving global challenges.

Today, global governance is becoming increasingly fragile and we face diverse global problems, including terrorism, whose solutions are urgently sought. To date, The Genron NPO has been making diverse efforts to strengthen the function of democracy in Japanese society while promoting dialogue with Japan's neighbors in pursuit of peace in Northeast Asia. By extending our perspective, we are set to launch new initiatives aimed at addressing agendas related to the future of Japan and peace-building efforts in the Asian region, as well as solving global issues.

We started in October a new program, called World Agenda Studio, as a platform for debate on global issues. We desire to expand a venue for debate on global issues and to create stronger public voices in addressing their solution. To this end, we have just renewed our English Web site to deliver Japan's opinions to the rest of the world.

Since October, The Genron NPO has been organizing open forums to discuss global issues while promoting a new form of non-governmental diplomacy to build peace and order in Northeast Asia. Using the renewed English Web site, we will deliver news on the progress of these new efforts to many people in the world.

Our English Web site is still evolving. We will make further efforts to improve the site by listening to your opinions and advice. We hope this Web site will provide you with opportunities to acquire information about ongoing policy debates in Japan. Your participation in our discussions is very much welcomed.