In the past, The Sasakawa Southeast Asia Cooperation Fund concentrated its people exchange activities on Japan visits for VIPs from the countries of Indochina and on fostering cooperative networks between those countries and Japan, its aim being to lend impetus to economic reform in the region. More recently, however, this project has been expanded in scope to include visits not only by VIPs but also by personnel in hands-on positions in various fields, and to encompass support for people exchanges within and among the Indochinese countries themselves.
In FY 1996, a group of university presidents from leading universities in Vietnam were invited to Japan, primarily to make observations and gather information useful for revising the economics curricula of their home institutions. Going beyond the usual scope of inspections and talks within Japan, however, this year's visit led to further assistance from the Japanese side for university curriculum development in Vietnam.
Also invited this year were the Cambodian minister of education, Mr. Tol Lah, and state secretary for information, Mr. Khieu Kanharith, who through a demanding schedule of meetings and activities raised considerable interest in Cambodian affairs among Japanese in various fields. The visit by the Lao minister for justice, Mr. Khamouan Boupha, meanwhile, helped spur the Japanese government's decision to include Laos in its program of aid for legal reforms in Indochina. In addition, two Japanese journalists dispatched to Cambodia to conduct training for Cambodian jour- nalists continued with their work this year.