Haruko Kawano, representative of VegeProject Japan, participated in this event as a facilitator. Alongside Kawano, the three panelists were vegetarian/vegan foreign residents in Japan who are engaging in vegetarian/vegan related businesses and research activities.
【The Panelists】
■ Alex Derycz (Vegan Prince)
A vegan from the USA. Also has background in France, Ukraine, etc. He shares information about vegan lifestyles and SDGs while working as a model and TV personality. In 2021, Derycz founded “Vegan Oji”, a company that engages in products development and PR activities in the plant-based field.
■ Yuqing Yang
A vegetarian from China. Currently a doctoral student at the International Research Division at Bunkyo University. Yang is conducting research on vegetarian and vegan activities, and actively participates in numerous vegan-related events.
■ Ruby Ramsden
A vegan from Australia. She is a doctoral student from the University of Melbourne, and currently a research fellow at Waseda University. Ramsden’s research focuses on vegan lifestyles in Japan. She is also working as an intern at VegeProject Japan.
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The three panelists introduced their backgrounds, such as the motives for choosing a vegan lifestyle, and shared their insights into the vegetarian and vegan initiatives and developments in their home countries. They also discussed their thoughts and hopes for the vegetarian and vegan scene in Japan. The atmosphere was relaxed and friendly, as the panelists answered questions from facilitator Haruko Kawano and the audience.
We received positive feedback from the audience, indicating that this has been a valuable opportunity to hear the voices of vegetarian and vegan individuals, and deepen their understanding of these lifestyles. We hope this will foster change in the future operations of the businesses who attended.
We extend our warmest gratitude to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the organizing staff, the panelists who enlivened the discussion, and all the attending businesses.