1. Changes in Japan's International Environment
(i) The end of the Cold War has complicated
relations between countries. With the fading of
ideological confrontation, Japan must work harder at
maintaining a more constructive relationship with the
various "Western" countries. International cultural
exchanges which recognize and promote common interests and
values have become an indispensable condition for the
maintenance and development of constructive foreign
relationships.
(ii) The ideological confrontation between countries
that was characteristic of the Cold War period has been
replaced by the emergence, and increasing severity, of
problems rooted in ethnic and cultural differences. For
the sake of coexistence among the world's nations, there
is thus a greater demand than ever for activities leading
to an appreciation and respect for other cultures and to a
deepening of international understanding.
(iii) There has been a rapid increase in
interdependence among different countries and their
citizens, particularly in the economic sphere. For
example, during the last ten years, Japan's direct foreign
investments have increased in value 7.3 times, while trade
volume, expressed in dollar terms, has about doubled.
Increased economic interdependence has brought economic
benefits to individual countries, but has also increased
the likelihood of friction between countries. The long-
term development of friendly relations with foreign
countries will be difficult unless these economic
developments are balanced by the vigorous promotion of
mutual cultural understanding and human ties.
(iv) With the end of East-West confrontation and the
growth of interdependent relations, global issues such as
environmental problems and the plight of refugees have
taken on a new urgency. Providing aid to former socialist
countries in their transition to market economies has also
become an important task. There is a growing demand in
Japan for international cooperation to cope with these
issues, and the importance of exchange activities has
risen accordingly.
(v) Efforts in the political and economic spheres
are of course necessary to resolve these pressing internal
and external issues. Ultimately, however, the most
effective key will be the pursuit of international
cultural exchange activities which are grounded in a long-
term perspective. Many international cultural exchange
activities bear fruit only after a long period of
sustained effort. This is precisely why it is necessary
to start working in earnest now -- once events have
reached the crisis stage, it will be too late. Looking at
the current domestic and external situation from a long-
term perspective, Japan can survive as a member of the
international community only if it immediately adopts a
more serious, thoroughgoing approach to cultural exchange
on a global scale.
2. Greater Contributions to the International Community
(i) Japan's economy now represents 15% of total
world GNP, and there is a tendency to view its
international presence in largely economic terms. In this
context, it is of the greatest urgency for Japan to form
stronger links with foreign countries in the non-economic
sphere and to develop a more balanced relationship with
the international community. It is important for Japan to
adopt a raised profile in the area of international
cultural exchange and use this as a basis for building
relations with other countries. This is a necessary
condition for gaining better understanding and
appreciation of Japan from the world community, and will
also represent a contribution to the building of a new
world order.
(ii) Some years ago the Japanese government
advocated an enhanced role for international cultural
exchange as one of its three pillars of international
cooperation. Since then, expectations regarding Japan's
international contributions have increased together with
its economic power. The above-mentioned changes in the
world's political situation have made it more important
than ever for Japan to make cultural, scientific and
scholastic contributions toward the development of world
culture and the solution of global problems such as those
described above. It is also indispensable for Japan to
make further international contributions through cultural
exchange as one means of meeting its international
responsibilities.
3. The Internationalization of Japan
(i) Increased international interdependence has
resulted in a broadening and deepening of Japan's ties
with the world. As Japanese companies expand their
business activities abroad, for example, many Japanese
employees and their families have put down local roots in
foreign society. The number of Japanese living abroad in
1993 was 680,000, representing an increase of 24% over the
figure five years earlier. In addition, the number of
foreigners residing in Japan has reached 1.28 million --
more than 1% of Japan's total population.
Thus Japanese people now have many more opportunities
for direct contact and involvement with people of other
nationalities. At the same time, the nature of Japanese
society has also come to influence the international
community in a variety of ways. There is a need,
therefore, for the nature of Japanese society and Japanese
ways of thought to become far more open to the outside
world. Japan must also open its doors to foreigners, and
respect the cultures and values of other countries.
(ii) At the same time, it has come to be understood
in many areas of Japan that international cultural
exchange not only promotes mutual understanding, but also
plays an increasingly important role in internationalizing
Japanese ways of thought and Japanese social institutions.
As the international community becomes more
interdependent, the difference and degree of separation
between a country's internal and external affairs has
become even smaller than is commonly imagined. The
further development of international exchange thus require
the participation of a greater number of individual
citizens.
We have entered an era in which Japan's
internationalization depends upon the participation of all
Japanese citizens in international exchanges.
1. Exchange Programs Organized at the Private and Local
Level: Each Citizen as a Participant
In addition to links between countries, today's
international community is characterized by increased
exchanges between local public bodies (for example, as in
the establishment of sister-city relationships) and by the
spread of cooperative international relationships at many
levels, including private foundations, educational and
research organizations, NGOs (non-governmental
organizations) and other private organizations,
corporations, and private individuals. It has become
essential to promote international exchanges which involve
each individual citizen. At this point of time, however,
Japan is not necessarily a full participant in this
network of international exchange and cooperation. This
is a result of the inadequate development and preparation
of Japan's private sector. Yet opportunities are growing
for much development in this regard, particularly in the
case of local organizations and NGOs, and for this reason
it is important to make further improvements through
measures such as those described below. It also goes
without saying that Japan's foreign exchanges, considered
as a whole, should be invigorated and rendered more
effective by taking advantage of the respective strengths
of government, local public bodies, private organizations,
corporations, and individuals, sharing responsibilities
among these various actors, and promoting cooperation
between the public and private sectors.
(1) In order to strengthen Japan's international
cultural exchange activities, efforts should be made to
allow private capital to play a larger role through the
active and effective use of tax measures which extend
preferential treatment to corporate and other donations in
this area. For example, suitable public interest
corporations should be designated as special public
interest promotion corporations, and information relating
to the current state of special public interest promotion
corporations should be further disseminated.
(2) In order to promote the participation of private
organizations in international exchange and cooperation
networks, the government and government-related
institutions should provide positive support for private
activities in the areas of human resource development and
information dissemination.
(3) In recent years local areas in Japan have seen
vigorous activity on the part of local public bodies,
organizations based on public-private cooperation such as
the Recognized Local International Exchange Associations,
and private organizations promoting grass roots
activities. It is necessary to design measures which
support the further strengthening of these new
participants in international exchange.
Also, smoother administration of procedures for the
acquisition of corporate status by suitable private
organizations should be encouraged through further public
disclosure of information concerning approval standards
for the establishment of non-profit foundations.
(4) In order to develop human resources for
international cultural exchange by local public bodies and
the private sector, it is necessary for them to expand
internship opportunities and strengthen personnel
exchanges with the government and various other
organizations.
2. Budget Increases for International Cultural Exchange
The Japan Foundation and the Japan Society for the
Promotion of Science play a major role in the government's
international cultural exchange programs, and have
steadily expanded their activities in recent years.
However the scope of their programs still pales in
comparison with that of similar organizations in Europe
and the United States. These organizations are now faced
with an urgent need for further expansion in order to
respond to new demands for exchange activities. They are
also playing a growing role as conduits for public support
to private and local organizations as the latter become
more active in exchange activities in response to the
increasingly diversified nature of international exchange.
The amount of money budgeted for international
cultural exchange is about 0.2% of the national budget.
Efforts to increase this figure and expand cultural
exchange and cooperation continue to be important.
(1) The Japan Foundation and the Japan Society for
the Promotion of Science have seen steady expansion in
recent years, but some of their efforts still fall short.
It is hoped, therefore, that by the early years of the
21st century these organizations will have doubled in size
and that their infrastructure will also have expanded and
improved. From this perspective, serious consideration
must also be given to measures which facilitate private-
sector contributions to the Japan Foundation.
(2) In order to strengthen international cooperation
at the cultural level, funds from Japan's Official
Development Assistance (ODA) should also be actively
utilized for cultural exchange.
3. Deregulation in International Cultural Exchange
In addition to financial aid and human resource
development, the government can facilitate international
cultural exchange in many other ways. For example, many
cumbersome procedures are still encountered by scholars,
researchers, and cultural figures who come to Japan from
abroad, or who leave Japan for other countries. This
conveys the impression to foreign countries that Japan is
a closed country, even in the cultural sphere. In Japan's
relations with the developed nations, the number of
Japanese students and researchers going abroad far exceeds
the number of foreign students and researchers coming to
Japan. Whatever the reasons for this phenomenon, it also
contributes to the impression of an imbalance in
international cultural exchange.
Interest in Japan is rising, and many foreign
individuals and organizations wish to come and pursue
activities in Japan. For this reason it is necessary to
facilitate exchange by relaxing various regulations as far
as possible. Also, since vigorous growth and development
in the fields of information and communications is
fundamental to the promotion of informational exchanges,
it is desirable to improve the institutions so as to
encourage new activities in these fields.
(1) Dissatisfaction exists regarding the length of
time required to process applications for visas to enter
Japan, and regarding the fact that personal guarantors are
required for each applicant. Accordingly, it is desirable
to simplify procedures, improve the administration of the
personal guarantor system, and make necessary adjustments
to the system of processing visa applications in order to
enable more rapid and appropriate processing for
individuals involved in international cultural exchange.
(2) Foreign organizations involved in exchange-
related activities in Japan are sometimes unable to
conduct their operations smoothly because of various
circumstances such as the difficulty of obtaining
corporate status. Since the number of foreign actors
promoting international cultural exchange with Japan is
expected to increase, measures for improvement must be
considered.
III. International Cultural Exchange Activities
for a New Era
In order to promote international cultural exchange
activities appropriate to a new era, a basic philosophy is
needed regarding how Japan can best participate in and
contribute to the international community. Although the
importance of exchange has been recognized for many years,
the demands of the new era have increased the urgency in
many areas. Furthermore, new ways of thought will be
required to promote effective international cultural
exchange with an eye to the new era. Most of all, to make
international relationships a more peaceful, richer forum
for exchange in a changing world order, Japan must fulfill
the great cultural responsibilities befitting its status
as an economic power. One facet of these responsibilities
is the promotion of international cultural exchange, which
has increased in importance to the point that it affects
Japan's very raison d'〓re. Concrete activities should be
developed on the basis of this fundamental perception.
1. Exchange Programs for a Better Future in the Asia-
Pacific Region
The rapid development of many of the Asia-Pacific
countries, coupled with their deepening economic
interdependence, is creating stronger intra-regional ties.
This region's development as an "open community" has great
significance for the world as a whole, and Japan must play
an important role in this regard. The promotion of
extensive relationships of exchange and cooperation, not
only at the government level but also involving private
and local organizations, is a basic condition for the
creation of this Asia-Pacific regional community. In its
relations with other Asian countries, Japan must work to
build a new future while maintaining an accurate
historical perspective in order to become a responsible
international state. In future Japan-US relations, as
well, it is essential to promote cooperative relations
while avoiding conflicts of interest in the Asia-Pacific
region. For these reasons, it is desirable that exchange
within the Asia-Pacific region be given high priority for
the future.
(1) Next year will be the 50th anniversary of the
end of World War II. It is important for Japan to take
advantage of this opportunity by making even greater
efforts to build a future-oriented relationship with other
countries in the region.
In this context, it is important to promote various
exchange projects within the Asia-Pacific region,
particularly youth exchanges fostering cross-cultural
communication, and to formulate the necessary measures for
achieving this goal.
(2) Support should be given to activities which
enable private and local organizations to create expanded
networks of exchange and cooperation within the Asia-
Pacific region.
(3) In order to provide the Japanese people with
more information on Asia-Pacific cultures, it is important
to improve the domestic infrastructure, in particular, of
groups involved in cultural exchange.
2. Promoting Future-Oriented Exchange
The promotion of international cultural exchange must
be undertaken over the long term. It is important to
place special emphasis on the promotion of mutual
understanding, cross-cultural communication, and dialogues
and exchanges among young people, who hold the key to the
future.
In this sense, rapid improvements are needed in the
framework for admitting foreign exchange students, and it
is also desirable to expand exchanges with foreign leaders
of tomorrow through programs such as JET (the Japan
Exchange and Teaching Programme), which has already been
successful in bringing foreign youth to Japan for foreign
language instruction and other services. Also important
are efforts to increase international understanding
through educational activities by making improvements in
the framework for admitting young people of foreign
nationality to schools in Japan and Japanese schools
abroad. It is also highly meaningful for Japanese young
people to go abroad for exchange and cooperation in the
form of foreign study, Japanese language teaching, and
other activities which allow them to experience foreign
conditions directly. Likewise, it is important to promote
exchanges with Japan in which young people of foreign
nationality come to Japan to participate in the various
programs offered by domestic and foreign educational
institutions. To promote lasting mutual understanding,
follow-up activities should also be pursued after the
completion of these various exchange projects.
(1) For the purpose of increasing understanding of
Japan in a variety of fields and developing future
exchanges with Japan, it is desirable to establish a
system of short-term student exchanges, which would allow
individuals to study in Japanese universities for a year
while still enrolled in a university in their home
country. This might also help to redress the imbalance in
number of exchange students between Japan and other
developed nations.
(2) To expedite realization of the "100,000 Foreign
Students Plan," it is necessary to improve the
infrastructure for admissions, education, and research at
universities and other institutions. Among other things
it is necessary to build more dormitories for exchange
students, increase the number of scholarships, administer
the personal guarantor system more flexibly, and establish
more foreign student centers. The effectiveness of
student exchanges could also be improved by disseminating
more information on study in Japan and by improving pre-
program arrangements and post-program follow-up for
exchange students in Japan.
(3) More support should be given to local and
private exchange organizations and volunteer groups, in
order to promote grass-roots exchanges at the local level,
such as student exchanges and youth exchanges.
(4) Both the size and the scope of the JET Programme
should be enlarged, and the number of countries from which
participants are invited should be increased. Youth
exchanges of various kinds, including those organized by
the government, local public bodies, and the private
sector, should also be promoted. Also, more emphasis
should be placed on follow-up activities for participants
in the JET Programme and other youth exchanges, thereby
contributing to their effectiveness.
(5) In order to increase opportunities for
international citizen-level contact and exchange,
especially among young people, sports exchanges should be
promoted and the infrastructure for such exchanges should
be strengthened. Support should be given to international
sporting competitions held in Japan, such as the 1998
Winter Olympics in Nagano, and the framework for training
instructors and coaches should also be improved. Finally,
cooperation in the areas of sports should be promoted with
developing countries and other nations.
3. Invigorating Foreign Cultural, Scientific and Academic
Exchanges
It is often pointed out that while Japan's
international influence has grown, it is still not a full
participant in international cultural, academic, and
intellectual activities. For example, there is still a
shortage of research and literature aimed at presenting
foreign countries with an accurate picture of Japan's
policy positions and the nature of its domestic debate on
topics of international concern. It is also said that
Japan is not making an adequate contribution to the
development of academic research, which forms the basis
for solving many of the problems faced by the world today.
Japan's attainment of economic power status has made
it the focus of a surge of interest in recent years on the
part of other countries. In order to respond adequately
to this interest, Japan must greatly improve its ability
to communicate with the outside world. To this end it is
necessary to make many improvements in infrastructure:
among other things, Japan must make efforts to improve its
own cultural and academic infrastructure in order to
substantially raise the quality of information to be
conveyed; develop the human resources necessary for
conveying this information; establish centers for exchange
in Japan and abroad; and expand the number of fellowships
available for research exchanges.
Efforts must be concentrated on transforming a
relatively faceless Japan into a nation with a higher
international profile for Japan.
(1) As a means of promoting academic exchange,
research exchanges, particularly those involving young
researchers, should be encouraged, as should joint
research projects and other programs involving
international exchange and cooperation. At the same time,
it is necessary to strengthen core research institutions
and make other efforts to improve research conditions and
raise research levels at universities and elsewhere.
These efforts will help to redress the imbalance in
exchanges of research personnel with European countries
and the US. It is also desirable for the Japan Society
for the Promotion of Science to improve liaison offices
overseas.
(2) Intellectual exchange should be promoted by
creating opportunities for dialogue and exchange among
opinion leaders from various countries and walks of life,
including government, business, the bureaucracy, academia,
and journalism. Intellectual exchange will also be
furthered by the establishment of overseas institutes for
regional studies and the Japan Foundation Intellectual
Exchange Promotion Centers overseas.
(3) Japan's ability to communicate research results
should be improved by modernizing and accelerating
academic networks, and by linking them to networks in
other countries.
(4) Infrastructure for the promotion of regional
studies must be strengthened by improving the domestic
framework for regional studies, encouraging research
exchanges with foreign researchers, and creating tighter
linkages among domestic and foreign institutions.
(5) In order to collect information on international
cultural exchange for dissemination here and abroad, a
database of information on international cultural exchange
should be created in Japan. Relevant institutions should
work together to make this database available on-line in
order to facilitate the effective dissemination of
information. In this context, efforts should be made to
collect and disseminate a wide body of information on
traditional and contemporary culture, keeping in mind that
there is a growing demand overseas for information on
contemporary Japan.
Also, to promote the dissemination of information on
regional cultural diversity in Japan, sister-city
relationships and other international exchange activities
by local public bodies should be encouraged.
(6) It is necessary to examine measures to further
promote the translation of Japanese-language source
materials and works of literature into foreign languages,
and to arrange for their publication overseas.
4. Deepening Understanding of Japan
Japan has come to exert a powerful economic presence
on the international community, and the number of Japanese
people living or traveling abroad also continues to grow
rapidly. However, it cannot be said that understanding of
Japan in foreign countries has deepened correspondingly,
or that there has emerged an overall, balanced
understanding regarding the history and contemporary
society of Japan and its people. To the contrary, the
increase in external contacts could lead to increased
friction resulting from a lack of mutual understanding.
Fortunately, interest in Japan is also increasing
dramatically together with the deepening of ties with
Japan. The number of foreigners studying Japanese as a
foreign language in Japan and abroad has reached three
million, and the purpose and nature of such study has also
diversified. Responding effectively to this interest is
the key to creating deeper understanding of Japan, and to
creating greater friendship and ties with Japan among
foreign countries.
In an age when television is the major source of
information about foreign countries for many of the
world's people, it is essential to strengthen Japan's
ability to transmit information by audio-visual media.
For example, television programs could be transmitted
directly via satellite from Japan to foreign countries,
and the latter could also be provided with access to news
broadcasts, Japanese language education programs, and
materials for these and other types of programs.
Moreover, given the rapid development of communications
technology, it is important to find ways of developing
Japanese language teaching methods and materials, and of
presenting information on Japanese culture, which take
advantage of multimedia and other new means of information
and communication.
(1) Steps to realize the possibility of direct
overseas television broadcasts must be accompanied by
urgent efforts to create a domestic framework facilitating
the provision of broadcast programs and material, and to
establish international agreements facilitating the smooth
implementation of direct overseas broadcasts.
(2) One bottleneck in the flow of information from
Japan to foreign countries is the extremely high cost of
international communications lines used by the media.
(This is particularly true in the case of television.)
Measures to improve this situation must be considered.
(3) In order to respond to the increasing numbers
and diversifying needs of Japanese language students, it
is important to strengthen the infrastructure for Japanese
language education at the Center for the Teaching of
Japanese as a Second Language of the National Language
Institute, the Japan Foundation's Japanese Language
Institute, Kansai International Center and Language
Centers, and elsewhere. Wide-ranging support should also
be given to improving the quality of Japanese language
education while encouraging the study of Japanese here and
abroad through: dispatch of experts and young Japanese-
language instructors overseas, the training of foreign
teachers of Japanese, exchanges with Japanese-language
researchers in other countries, improved implementation of
the Japanese-language proficiency examination, and the
development of teaching materials, dictionaries, and
teaching methods appropriate to diverse needs and diverse
languages and cultural traditions.
To promote the overseas dissemination of the Japanese
language, emphasis should be placed on language
instruction in junior and senior high-schools. Attention
should also be given to dissemination through individuals
of Japanese descent and the use of Japanese schools
located abroad.
(4) To provide more adequate Japanese-language
instruction for foreigners who live in local areas of
Japan, steps should be taken to create more opportunities
for Japanese language instruction, to provide training for
individuals (including volunteers) involved in teaching
Japanese, and to develop better teaching materials.
(5) It is necessary to make improvements at
institutions providing graduate-level training for
Japanese language teachers, at the Center for the Teaching
of Japanese as a Second Language of the National Language
Institute and elsewhere in order to provide better
training for future leaders in the field of language
education. At the same time, efforts are required to
improve the quality of Japanese language teachers and
provide them with more stable jobs.
(6) More support and information should be provided
to research institutes and learned societies abroad which
conduct research on Japan, and cooperative ties with these
research institutions and researchers should be
strengthened.
(7) Further improvements should be made at domestic
organizations conducting research on Japan, such as the
International Research Center for Japanese Studies, and
more encouragement should be given to joint research and
research exchanges involving foreign specialists on Japan.
Also, active emphasis should be placed on admitting
exchange students in the area of Japanese studies.
5. International Contributions through Cultural Exchange
In the face of a growing number of issues, such as
environmental problems, which can only be solved through
global cooperation, it is more important than ever for
Japan to greatly increase its international contribution
in the non-military arena.
Japan should take active steps to cooperate in the
preservation, restoration, and promotion of the world's
tangible and intangible cultural heritage, which is the
common legacy of all mankind, and to demonstrate to the
world Japan's strong commitment to the preservation of
culture. Another urgent task is to provide support in the
form of know-how to former socialist countries to enable
them to make smooth transitions toward democratic
political systems and market economies. It is also
important for Japan to take a more active stance toward
the resolution of issues which require international
research and cooperation, such as environmental problems,
development, and the plight of refugees.
(1) Infrastructural improvements are required to
systematically encourage cooperation between the public
and private sectors to preserve, restore, and promote the
world's tangible and intangible cultural heritage. At the
same time, it is necessary to strengthen the
infrastructure for research and human resources
development in Japan, which forms the basis for such
activities. Support should also be given to private-
sector cooperation for the protection of cultural assets,
including the work of the Institute for the World Cultural
Heritage.
(2) It is necessary to improve the development human
resources responsible for cultural affairs in developing
countries, and to cooperate in the establishment of bases
for the promotion of culture in developing countries.
(3) There is an urgent need to provide developing
countries and former socialist countries with support in
the form of know-how for carrying out institutional
reforms and developing the human resources necessary to do
so.
(4) In order to address issues requiring
international research and cooperation, it is important to
promote the latter through academic exchanges,
intellectual exchanges, and cooperation with the United
Nations University and other international organizations.
At the same time, the development of international
exchange activities by local public bodies, NGOs and other
private organizations, corporations, and private
individuals in the area of international cooperation
should be encouraged.
6. Contributing to the Development of a Richer World
Culture
Exchanges in the field of the arts and culture play
an important role in creating mutual understanding between
peoples of different cultures throughout the world. In
addition to these exchanges, it is important to make an
active contribution to the development of world culture by
creating new cultural forms through joint undertakings by
artists from various countries in Asia and elsewhere.
In order to promote exchanges in the field of arts
and culture, it is necessary for Japan to promote its own
artistic and cultural activities while at the same time
laying the necessary groundwork to become a forum for
cultural creation by foreign as well as Japanese artists,
thus expanding its exchanges with foreign countries.
Also, in order to protect the rights of artists and
give support to their creative activities, it is necessary
to disseminate the idea of literary and artistic
copyrights in forums for international cultural exchange,
and to take care to respect such copyrights.
(1) Support should be given to Japanese artists and
artistic groups participating in presentations of Japan's
artistic culture or in international festivals. Support
should also be given to training programs for Japanese
artists, stage technicians, and artistic managers, as well
as to joint artistic productions.
(2) Consideration should be given to designating the
21st Century as the "Century of Friendship and Culture"
and to commemorating the start of the new century with a
"21st Century International Culture Festival" or world
festival of the arts.
(3) As a means of introducing Japanese films to
overseas audiences, the infrastructure of relevant
organizations such as the National Film Center of the
Tokyo National Museum of Modern Art and the Japan
Foundation should be enhanced, as should the level of
coordination among these organizations.
(4) To promote artistic and cultural exchanges,
efforts should be made to increase the budgets of the
Agency for Cultural Affairs and the Japan Foundation and
to strengthen other artistic and cultural organizations in
Japan, such as the proposed New National Theatre
(tentative name), which can serve as bases for future
exchange. At the same time, it is necessary to support
the activities of private artistic groups by increased
public assistance and through preferential tax treatment
for donations.
Conclusion
It is our hope that Japan will further enrich its own
culture for the sake of posterity through increasingly
diverse exchanges with other cultures in a world at peace.
For this purpose we must also seek to make Japan an
appealing exchange partner for foreign countries and an
appealing site for mutual exchange.
As domestic and foreign conditions change, Japan's
individual citizens are reexamining their values and
systems in the hope that institutional reforms in various
sectors of Japanese society will keep pace with the
demands of a new era. Now is the time to move firmly
ahead in the area of international cultural exchange by
adjusting the domestic framework and strengthening the
infrastructure for exchange.
More than anything, it is important that the
recommendations contained in this report be faithfully
carried out. We hope that the contents of the report will
be fully implemented by invigorating the Conference for
the Promotion of International Cultural Exchange, which is
currently supervised by the cabinet, and by strengthening
coordination among relevant government ministries and
agencies. At the same time, ad hoc meetings of experts
should be held in the presence of the Prime Minister to
report on and discuss the progress of implementation.