The is the girls-only Scouting

Scouting

Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....

 organization serving Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. Founded in 1919, the Girl Scouts of Japan became a member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts

World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts

The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts is a global association supporting the female-oriented and female-only Scouting organizations in 145 countries. It was established in 1928 and has its headquarters in London, England. It is the counterpart of the World Organization of the Scout...

 in 1952 and counts 61,305 girls as members as of 2003.

Girl Scouting was first introduced in Japan in 1919 by Miss Muriel Greenstreet, a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 missionary

Missionary

A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...

 teacher

Teacher

A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...

. The movement gradually spread, and in 1920 took the name Nihon Joshi Hododan (Girl Guides of Japan). In 1928 Japan became a founder member of WAGGGS. Girl Scouting was banned by the government during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, restarted in 1947, and was officially recognized as Girl Scouts of Japan in 1949.

In 2000, Her Highness Princess Sayako attended a variety of events in the Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

 metropolitan area and in regional Japan, including the ceremony for the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Girl Scouts of Tokyo, and the opening ceremony for the Togakushi

Togakushi, Nagano

was a village located in Kamiminochi District, Nagano Prefecture, Japan.On January 1, 2005 Togakushi, along with the village of Ōoka, from Sarashina District, the town of Toyono, and the village of Kinasa, all from Kamiminochi District, was merged into the city of Nagano.As of 2003, the village had...

 Girl Scouts Center to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Girl Scouting movement in Japan.

The Girl Scout program in Japan focuses on three major points – self-development, human relations, and nature. Some of the Girl Scout activities include working with the disabled, planting trees, and protecting the environment from floods and air pollution.

Program and ideals

The Girl Scouts are divided into

• Tenderfoot (from 1 year before 1st grade), around 5 years
• Brownie (grades 1 through 3), around 6 to 8 years
• Junior (grades 4 through 6), around 9 to 11 years
• Senior (grades 7 through 9), around 12 to 14 years
• Rangers (grades 10 through 12), around 15 to 17 years
• and adult leaders (age 18 and over)

The Girl Scout emblem incorporates a sakura

Sakura

A cherry blossom is the flower of any of several trees of genus Prunus, particularly the Japanese Cherry, Prunus serrulata, which is sometimes called sakura after the Japanese . Many of the varieties that have been cultivated for ornamental use do not produce fruit...

, a cherry blossom. May 22 is Girl Scout Day.

Promise

English	Japanese Japanese language is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...	Romaji Romanization of Japanese The romanization of Japanese is the application of the Latin alphabet to write the Japanese language. This method of writing is known as , less strictly romaji, literally "Roman letters", sometimes incorrectly transliterated as romanji or rōmanji. There are several different romanization systems...
I promise to: Do my duty to God (Buddha); Be responsible for my community, My country and the world; Try to be helpful to other people; and Live by the Girl Scout Law.	私は 　　　　　神（仏）に対するつとめを行い 　　　　　地域と国と世界への責任を果たし 　　　　　人に役立つことを心がけ 　　ガールスカウトのおきてを守ります。	watashi wa 　 　 　 　 　 kami (butsu) ni taisuru tsutome wo okonai 　 　 　 　 　 chiiki to kuni to sekai e no sekinin wo hatashi 　 　 　 　 　 hito ni yakudatsu koto wo kokorogake 　 　 gārusukauto no oki te wo mamorimasu.

Law

1. I am cheerful and courageous at all times.
2. I respect all living things.
3. I am a friend to all, and a sister to every Girl Scout.
4. I am courteous.
5. I use time and resources wisely.
6. I think and act on my own.
7. I am responsible for what I say and do.
8. I try to be sincere.

Further reading

• World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, World Bureau (2002), Trefoil Round the World. Eleventh Edition 1997. ISBN 0-900827-75-0