Welcome to our association’s website

History The origins of our association date back to 2006. At a local flea market, Izumi and Mariko, two Japanese women living in Belgium, discovered that some of their fellow Japanese residents were facing various kinds of difficulties. They wanted to help. In 2010, a company managing information websites for the Japanese community in Belgium was looking for someone to take over its activities. We decided to step in and continue its work. Two more people subsequently joined us, and in 2022, our association was officially established with the aim of promoting Japanese culture and strengthening relations between Belgians and Japanese people in a sustainable way. Approximately 5,000 Japanese people live in Belgium. This number has remained relatively stable despite the relocation of some Japanese companies back to Japan. The number of marriages between Belgians and Japanese people is also gradually increasing. Until now, Japanese people living in Belgium have been warmly welcomed and have been able to find the support they need within the Belgian community, while continuing to interact with it. However, in the age of the Internet, the virtual world has increasingly replaced real-life interactions, and opportunities for face-to-face communication have diminished. Here at C’ISM, we want to rebuild strong connections between people by providing a genuine platform for welcoming, meeting, and exchanging ideas. We hope that our activities will help maintain and strengthen the relationship of trust that exists between our two countries.