WMF’s CEO Bernadette Meehan meets the Japanese community

On May 12, 2026, Bernadette Meehan, CEO of the WM Foundation, attended a meetup with members of the Japanese community. The CEO stopped by Japan before ESEAP 2026, which was held in Taiwan from May 15. Thirteen members of the Japanese Wikimedia community, including members of the Wikimedians of Japan User Group, participated in the meetup, which was held in a conference room in Tokyo. Japanese community members surround CEO Bernadette (third from the right in the back row) (May 12, 2026, Tokyo) The meetup began in a relaxed atmosphere with light refreshments. First, the CEO gave a greeting, followed by brief self-introductions from each participant. Some members had been with the Japanese Wikipedia since its launch in 2001, while others had only two or three years of experience. Each person spoke about their motivation for joining and their areas of interest. The CEO asked questions such as, “What was the first article you wrote?” Those who could speak English spoke in English, while those who couldn’t were translated by others, and the conversation progressed with moments of surprise and laughter. Following the initial discussion, the Q&A session continued with questions about the current state of the Wikimedia project. Regarding the decline in access due to the rise of AI, while Wikipedia articles are provided free of charge, the systems used to create and maintain them are not. Therefore, discussions are underway to have major users such as Google and Meta contribute to the costs. The CEO explained the current situation regarding these issues. There was also a frank statement that they are learning a great deal from the efforts of other open-source communities, such as OpenStreetMap. We also discussed a wide range of other topics, such as student clubs, how to increase participation, and how to help people become familiar with the WM Foundation’s new initiatives, and the time flew by. Traditionally, Japanese communities have had active individual activities, but they haven’t been moving in the direction of creating a system for promoting collaboration as a group. However, I hope that we can cherish opportunities like this meetup and grow as a community by each contributing our strengths. Thanks to the CEO’s attendance, I think each participating member was able to take a small step forward.