[Prime Session] Building Bridges from Asia to Global Open Source

Open source is not only software we use, but a way for engineers, students, companies, communities, and even countries to learn and grow together. However, many people in Asia still face barriers when trying to join global open source communities: language, cultural distance, lack of confidence, and limited organizational support.

In this keynote, I will share how we have approached these challenges in Japan through Kubernetes Upstream Training Japan, Cloud Native Community Japan, localization activities, and corporate open source strategy. These efforts started as local-language onboarding, but gradually evolved into a pathway that helps users take their first steps toward real upstream contribution.

I will also discuss why sustainable contribution cannot depend only on heroic individuals. Companies, universities, OSPOs, policy makers, foundations, and local communities all have roles to play in building participation infrastructure. Through Japan’s experience, I hope to explore how Asian communities can learn from each other and build stronger bridges to global open source.