Speakers

Junior MaedaTEDxHamamatsu 2018 Speaker

Photographer / Photojournalist

Born in Porto Alegre in the Federal Republic of Brazil in 1975, and lives in Hamamatsu City.

Mr. Maeda is a third generation Japanese-Brazilian photographer who lives in Japan for 28 years. He has taken many photographs of Japanese Brazilians to express what “Dekassegui”(migrant workers) in the 1990s were like. You can feel the breathing of that time realistically from his monochrome photos.

It has been 110 years since the first Japanese immigrant ship went to Brazil. Also, It has been approximately 30 years since the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act was revised, which allowed the second and third Japanese generations and their families to enter and work in Japan. A lot of events to re-ensure the bond between Brazil and Japan are took place in various parts of Japan. At these exhibitions, Mr. Maeda’s photos play an indispensable role and tell us something important without a word.

Mr. Maeda said “I want to tell the younger Brazilian generations who do not know the old days how Japanese Brazilians lived in Japan at that time.” At the same time, he does not only tell the past, but also introduce Japanese Brazilians who are active at the front lines of current Japanese society. His activities have been reported in Japanese newspapers, television and magazines, and Brazilian magazines.

Meanwhile, he is also active in the field of photojournalism. He received a photographic award at Web Portal Mie in 2014, and his photographs are featured at Press Awards Japan 2017.

His favorite food is Sukiyaki. His motto is “Quando você achar que sabe tudo, é a hora de aprender mais” (meaning: When you think you know everything, it’s time to learn more.).