Japanese teen Aditi Paudel becomes the nation's first literacy ambassador

Aditi Paudel, a 17-year-old high-school senior living in Tokyo, has been appointed as Japan’s first literacy ambassador by the World Literacy Foundation, which coordinates a global youth program spanning 101 countries. The foundation highlighted Paudel’s leadership, enthusiasm for reading, and commitment to empowering Japanese youth as reasons for her selection. Having been born in Japan, raised in Nepal, and returning to Japan for third grade, she developed a strong reading habit nurtured by her father and early exposure to diverse books.

Paudel intends to work with the Shanti Volunteer Association to collect and distribute books to Asian nations with low literacy rates, such as Nepal. Her appointment underscores concerns that roughly half of Japanese children in elementary through high school are not reading books for enjoyment, a trend the foundation warns could reverse literacy gains, especially as AI tools make quick answers more common. Paudel emphasizes the need to make reading a habit in a digital-heavy world.