Project Contents
Interest in Japan runs high in the Middle East, but information about Japan is often second hand and filtered through Western media, making it difficult for people there to obtain accurate information. This project aims to enhance mutual understanding between the Middle East and Japan by improving the capacity on both sides to distribute information.
Implementation Plan
The following activities will be implemented during the final year of this three-year project:
- Seminars for diplomats from Middle Eastern Islamic countries resident in Japan (four times per fiscal year):
Four seminars will be held on a regular basis for diplomats from Middle Eastern Islamic countries resident in Japan. The seminars will cover relevant topics selected from Japanese politics, economy, culture and society, delivered by Japanese specialists in each area. The seminars will be by invitation only, but video will later be prepared and published on YouTube, with narration in Arabic and English.
- Seminars with experts on the Middle East situation (once per fiscal year):
Three respected specialists and journalists from Middle East Islamic countries (e.g., Iran, Turkey, Egypt) will be invited, and two seminars will be held during the year to deepen Japanese understanding of the Middle East. Seminar participants are expected to be journalists, researchers, diplomats, practitioners, NGO personnel, and others.
- Seminars to disseminate information about Japan (once per fiscal year):
Seminars on Japanese politics, economy, education, environment and other topics will be held at venues such as universities, think tanks and research institutions in Iran, Turkey, and the Gulf states. Experts in the relevant fields will be dispatched from Japan as lecturers.
- Maintenance and management of Alyaban Net, a website providing information about Japan in Arabic:
This Arabic language website created as a means to deepen understanding of Japan in the Middle Eastern Islamic region will be used to enhance information dissemination. In addition to translation and online posting of five news articles per day from Jiji Press, Ltd. (which started last year), an effort will be made to expand the range of coverage in politics, economy, culture and society.
- Introduction to Japanese Culture
Arabic language materials featuring visual information will be created as a vehicle to introduce contemporary Japanese culture to the Middle East Islamic region.
