NIPPON MARU CORNER: THE PRESS CLUB OF ASEAN-JAPAN
In 1989, the ASEAN–Japan Press Club emerged as a vital element within the Nippon Maru Program, bringing a journalistic sensibility to this voyage of youth across nations. Composed of participants with interests and backgrounds in media, writing, and communication, the Press Club assumed the responsibility of observing, recording, and giving narrative shape to the unfolding journey. From the earliest days at sea, they documented daily life aboard the ship, noted significant moments, and captured the subtle dynamics of interaction among participants from ASEAN countries and Japan.
On board the Nippon Maru, the ASEAN–Japan Press Club worked with quiet discipline and shared purpose. They produced internal bulletins, wrote daily reports, and conducted informal interviews with Participant Youth (PY), crew members, and program organizers. Cultural exchanges, group discussions, and social gatherings all became material for reflection and reportage. Through carefully chosen words and modest visual documentation, the Press Club sought to preserve the spirit of friendship, learning, and mutual understanding that flourished within the floating community.
As the ship called at various ports—including Indonesia and other destinations along the 1989 route—the role of the Press Club grew more pronounced. Its members accompanied official land-based activities, recording welcoming ceremonies, dialogues with local youth, and the homestay experiences of participants. Often, they served as interpreters of experience, helping fellow participants grasp the social and cultural contexts of each host country through the stories and insights they shared upon returning to the ship.
Toward the end of the program, the collective work of the ASEAN–Japan Press Club became a treasured archive of the Nippon Maru 1989 journey. Their writings and records did more than chronicle events; they captured the inner atmosphere of the voyage—the hopes, uncertainties, and friendships formed along the way. Within the framework of the Nippon Maru Program, the Press Club stood not merely as observers, but as active participants who, through memory and language, ensured that the meaning of the ASEAN–Japan encounter would endure beyond the passage of time.
FYI. One of them was the writer of this untold story. His name is Joni Setia Budi, known as Joni Bond. Because he is the 7th kid in the family: 007 (LoL).
