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Message from the President

For the Japan Foundation, the premier event of FY2018 was undoubtedly Japonismes 2018: les âmes en résonance, a commemoration of the 160th anniversary of Japan-France diplomatic relations. Both in terms of quality and scale, this was the largest showcasing of Japanese arts and culture ever held overseas by Japan. It created a great sensation, attracting a total of over 3.5 million visitors. This popularity was the result of two and a half years of meticulous preparation through public-private cooperation between Japan and France, as well as the spotlighting of exceptional arts and culture at first-class venues. This event demonstrated that Japanese culture has enormous appeal across the international community. Encouraged by this resounding success, we will strive to further deepen mutual understanding with other countries by organizing more projects introducing Japanese culture in the future.

FY2018 has marked the beginning of the Japan Foundation Asia Center's fifth year of activities. The center's "NIHONGO Partners" program provides in-class Japanese-language learning assistance to junior high and high school students in Asia while introducing Japanese culture. During the past five years, the program has dispatched more than 1,800 ordinary Japanese citizens to locations overseas as "NIHONGO Partners," and the program is earning increasingly high acclaim in each country served. The partners also learn much from their experiences abroad and after their return they continue to play active roles as bridges linking Japan and other Asian countries. The Asia Center also remains committed to supporting arts and culture by contributing to the creation of new culture in Asia through two-way interchanges in fine arts, films, performing arts, music and sports.

The Japan Foundation also continued to promote Japanese-language education throughout FY2018. The number of Japanese-Language Proficiency Test examinees worldwide topped 1 million for the first time since the test began in 1984, which underscored the rising needs for Japanese-language learning programs and tools. This soaring demand was also reflected in the number of registered users of our JF Japanese e-Learning Minato Japanese-language learning platform, which reached the 60,000 mark. Meanwhile, in conjunction with the Japanese government's policy for attracting more foreign human resources to Japan, we began developing the Japan Foundation Test for Basic Japanese (JFT-Basic) and launched other initiatives to support multicultural coexistence.

The importance of further invigorating academic and intellectual exchange is also increasing in tandem with the growing complexity of the international milieu. In addition to initiating a new grassroots exchange program that contributes to Japan-U.S. relations, we also implemented programs that increase the understanding of Japan and promote the building of networks that transcend national borders.

We recognize the rising expectations that are placed on the Japan Foundation as a core institution dedicated to carrying out international cultural exchange. In working to attain our mission of "Cultivating friendship and ties between Japan and the world," we will make efforts to ensure the fairness of our operations and improve internal controls, while passionately pursuing our diverse endeavors to live up to the expectations of people in Japan and overseas. We sincerely appreciate your understanding and support.


Hiroyasu Ando
President
The Japan Foundation
October 2019


Photo of Mr. Hiroyasu Ando, President, The Japan Foundation