02/09/2026
【Consul-General’s Visit to the ROSE Senior Centre of ROSE Charities 】
On September 2nd, Mr. Shinya Machida, Consul-General of Japan in Penang, visited the ROSE Senior Centre operated by ROSE Charities Malaysia, where he toured the Centre’s activities and exchanged views with its representatives. Established in 2009, ROSE Charities Malaysia is a non-profit organisation that conducts a wide range of activities, particularly for senior citizens, including health promotion, sports, education, social engagement and community support.
Representatives of ROSE Charities Malaysia introduced various activities conducted at the Centre, including table tennis, qigong, line dancing, cooking classes and handicrafts, as well as initiatives to improve digital literacy among senior citizens and to explore the use of AI for elderly monitoring and communication support. A digital literacy class for senior citizens organised by Digital Penang was also being held on the day of the visit. Mr. Machida learned about the Centre’s efforts to ensure that senior citizens are not left behind by digitalisation and can continue to maintain connections with the wider community.
Mr. Machida introduced the official chef accompanying him, as well as representatives involved in Japanese culture and the Japanese Saturday School, and exchanged views on possible future activities involving Japanese cuisine, Japanese sweets, tea ceremony and the Japanese language. Referring also to Japan’s experience as an ageing society, he expressed his hope that Japan and Penang could share experiences and learn from each other in creating a society in which senior citizens can remain connected to their communities and live active, enjoyable and meaningful lives.
During the visit, Mr. Machida also met Dato’ Peter Cheah, former Chairman of Seh Tek Tong Cheah Kongsi and currently Museum Advisor to the Straits & Oriental Museum, and exchanged views on Penang’s Chinese cultural heritage and history. The Consulate-General of Japan in Penang will continue to deepen exchanges with ROSE Charities Malaysia and other local community organisations, and to promote people-to-people exchanges between Japan and Penang through a broad range of areas including Japanese culture, senior citizen exchanges and education.
EN: https://www.penang.my.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_ja/11_000001_01667.html
JP : https://www.penang.my.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_ja/11_000001_01666.html