REALs Chairperson Rumiko Seya Speaks at "KYOBASHI International Women's Day"

Overview

Rumiko Seya, Chairperson of the Certified NPO REALs (Reach Alternatives/Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo), an organization dedicated to preventing conflict and creating a society where people can coexist, delivered a keynote speech at "KYOBASHI International Women's Day" held at TODA BUILDING on Tuesday, March 10, 2026.

This event was co-hosted by Toda Corporation, Cosmo Energy Holdings Co., Ltd., and Pilot Corporation, in agreement with the "International Women's Day" established by the United Nations. Mr. Kiyosuke Otani, Representative Director and President of Toda Corporation, Mr. Shigeru Yamada, Representative Director and President of Cosmo Energy Holdings Co., Ltd., and Mr. Fumio Fujisaki, Representative Director and President of Pilot Corporation, participated. Chairperson Seya, as a keynote speaker, introduced examples of REALs' achievements in conflict zones regarding women's empowerment. Approximately 290 employees and related parties from the three companies headquartered in Kyobashi, Tokyo, participated in a hybrid online and offline format.

In her keynote speech, Chairperson Seya introduced the realities of peacebuilding activities undertaken by REALs in conflict zones in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, under the motto of "implementing realistic peace options." The lecture presented data from an analysis of over 170 peace processes, showing that peace agreements with active women's participation have a 35% higher chance of lasting over 15 years, and those with civil society representatives have a 64% lower failure rate. While pointing out that only 9% of peace processes worldwide actually involve women, she stated that there is room to achieve global peace by addressing these challenges. To bridge these gaps, REALs is working to realize "true participation" that goes beyond formal involvement, and actively shares its knowledge through collaborations with companies and organizations.

Specific achievements of the activities introduced include support for the evacuation of over 320 people to third countries using REALs' unique network after the collapse of the Taliban government in Afghanistan in 2021, and conflict and terrorism prevention efforts through local human resource development in slums in Syria and Kenya. In the latter, trained personnel identified and dealt with over 800 disputes and crimes annually, and reported that over 70-80% of disputes could be resolved by building trust between residents and the police.

The panel discussion after the lecture included Chairperson Seya, Noriko Luzonka, Executive Officer and CDO of Cosmo Energy Holdings Co., Ltd., Kazumi Atago, Executive Officer and Head of Corporate Headquarters at Toda Corporation, and Mashiho Ogi, Executive Officer and Head of Overseas Sales Division at Pilot Corporation. A lively discussion took place from the perspectives of various industries on building an organizational culture where diverse talent can thrive, going beyond the framework of "women's empowerment."

Profile of Rumiko Seya, Chairperson

Keywords: International Cooperation, NGO, NPO, Conflict Prevention, Gender, Peacebuilding