Like most DHRRAs, Ja-DHRRA takes its roots from the DHRRAW Workshop held on August 4th to 26th, 1974 in Swanganiwas, Thailand, with 130 participants from 11 countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

At the end of 1974, several volunteers from Yamaguchi City who wished to address social development concerns formed the “Asia Thinking Group”. Starting from the awareness of the issues given at the workshop, the immediate task was to explore what Japanese citizens should do, what they can do, what they should not do, and so on. ..　　

Ten to twenty people gathered at a monthly study session and invited lecturers with direct experience and knowledge about the reality of Asia so as to raise their awareness of social development issues in Asia. This study session, which lasted for about a year, is the prehistory of Ja-DHRRA.

Currently, under the theme of “development of human resources,” Ja-DHRRA is developing meaningful experiential learning and practical activities for young people in cooperation with Asian NGOs.

Ja-DHRRA is presently based and active in the Hyogo Prefecture Area and facilitates learning experiences with Japanese students and rural farmers through exchanges with other NGOs all over Asia.

Hidehide Fujioka of the Graduate School of Economics, Kobe University, is the current president of Ja-DHRRA