Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a reception to offer words of encouragement to the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) at the Prime Minister's Office.

The Prime Minister said in his opening address,

"I express my sincere appreciation to you, the members of the JOCV, who have engaged in various assistance work in many developing nations far away from your home country, working hard together with the local people under severe circumstances.
At the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD V), which was held in Yokohama in June, I received words of gratitude directly from many of the leaders of African countries for the activities carried out by the JOCV.
I said in the opening session of TICAD V that the members of JOCV are the treasures of Japanese diplomacy. This was eloquently expressed to me by the African leaders as well.
And this is true not only in Africa;  we have received many words of gratitude from people at all levels, from national leaders to the members of the grassroots groups of respective countries, for your fellow JOCV members who have dedicated themselves to activities in many developing countries of Asia, Central and South America, the Middle East, Oceania, and Europe.
Half a century has passed since we began dispatching JOCV members overseas. During that time, about 40,000 Japanese youths have done hard work in developing countries around the world, and developed warm and solid relationships with the local people. Even as we speak, over 1,500 Japanese youths are actively serving as a literal bridge between Japan and various countries.
Today, out of the approximately 1,100 JOCV members who have completed their two-year mission and returned to Japan over the past year, 90 are attending this reception. I imagine that in your activities over the two years, each one of you experienced countless hardships and conflicts, surpassed by joys and discoveries, as well as inspiring moments.
Japan has gained great trust from the world, and received support and sympathy from all over the world in the event of the Great East Japan Earthquake. This, I believe, is due in large part to the members of JOCV who have thought and worked together with the people of the countries they were in, and developed bonds of trust and friendship throughout the world.
With your contributions as the cornerstone for powerful friendships with countries all over the world, the Government will cooperate even closer with JICA, and work toward the strategic and effective use of ODA that better serves our national interest.
I hope that each member of the JOCV will make great use of the rich knowledge gained through his or her experiences thus far to further flourish in the future.