Following the cessation of the civil war, Cambodia held general elections through the offices of the United Nations Transitional Authority and set off to a new start in 1993 under the title of the 'Kingdom of Cambodia'. At points during the civil war, diplomatic relations between Japan and Cambodia broke down, and to this day there is insufficient understanding between the two countries in a number of fields. Accordingly, the objective of this visit of Cambodian parliamentarians is to strengthen relations between the two countries and promote understanding of Japan. With the war now at an end and political stability achieved, Cambodia is beginning to develop economically, and is calling for further development by attracting direct foreign investment. Cambodia needs to secure top-class human resources if it is to achieve its development goals, hence the current program for the visiting parliamentarians was built with a focus on education.

During their eight-day visit, the group paid calls on the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, National Institute for Education Policy Research (MEXT), Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education, Hiroshima University, and Tokyo Metropolitan Horticultural High School, and exchanged views with members of the Lower House Committee on Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The group, which was composed of members of the Cambodian 7th Committee on Education, was very eager to acquire knowledge on the workings of the Japanese education system, and asked many questions of the hosts and took extensive notes. On the day prior to the group’s return to Cambodia, the information gathered during the visit was compiled into a report for Han Seng, chairman of the National Assembly of Cambodia.

List of Cambodian parliamentarians　(PDF)