On October 30, 2023, colleagues from Japan visited the CEP office in Utrecht with the dual objective of getting to know CEP, its staff, and touring the office, as well as reinforcing their cooperation since UNAFEI (United Nations Asia and Far East Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders) is an affiliate member of CEP.

The Japanese delegation consisted of Ms. HIDAKA Mashiro, an official from the Rehabilitation Bureau, Mr. TANAKA Naoki, a professor at UNAFEI, and Mr. WATANABE Hiroyuki, Deputy Director of the General Affairs Division within the Rehabilitation Bureau.

Japan had the honour of hosting the 3rd World Congress on Probation in Tokyo in September 2017. In September 2022, CEP and UNAFEI signed an Affiliation Agreement to further expand and strengthen their cooperation.

During the visit, the CEP Secretary General presented the work of CEP, and the Japanese colleagues shared insights into the current situation in Japan concerning their work with offenders in the community. Discussions covered various aspects, including the role of volunteers in the probation field in Japan. CEP introduced the Erasmus+ CoPPer Project, emphasizing its relevance in the context of European volunteers.