The Activities of the Japan Foundation
Culture: Arts and Cultural Exchange
The Japan Foundation China Center
The program, which primarily targets youth who will be the next generation of leaders in Japan and China, aims to promote mutual understanding by providing participants with opportunities to experience each other’s culture and lifestyle, and to engage in dialogue and collaborative activities. It will continue to implement projects that emphasize interactivity and collaboration, aiming to build a deeper and longer-lasting Xin Lian Xin ("Heart to Heart" in Chinese).
*The Japan Foundation China Center was restructured into the Global Partnerships Department on April 1, 2022.
Program for Dialogue and Collaboration between Japanese and Chinese High School Students
Students from Huanggang Foreign Language School in China interacting with students from Kochi Prefectural Kochi Higashi High School
The COVID-19 pandemic continued to make it difficult to hold exchanges involving travel in FY2021 as well. Under these circumstances, we implemented the Program for Dialogue and Collaboration between Japanese and Chinese High School Students, which aims to foster a sense of solidarity and cooperation among the youth of both nations through online dialogue and collaboration to enable high school students from Japan and China to deepen their mutual understanding of each other’s culture and society and to solve shared problems such as school life and community issues.
Centers for “Face-to-Face Exchanges” in China
Centers for “Face-to-Face Exchanges” are established in universities and other institutions in regional cities around China where opportunities to gain information about Japan are relatively limited. The centers provide venues where visitors can experience contemporary Japanese culture by browsing, viewing and listening to the latest magazines, books, visual materials and other contents from Japan. At the centers, Japanese and Chinese youth interact through a wide variety of Japan-China exchange events, including seminars on Japanese culture by experts from both countries, using online formats.
University student exchange program (Panda × the Kunming Center for “Face-to-Face Exchanges”) Fall 2021
Students of the Jinan Center for “Face-to-Face Exchanges” who participated in an event
Network Strengthening Programs
University student exchange program (Zhaojiao (Showa Women's University) and the Xining Center for “Face-to- Face Exchanges”) Spring 2022
We implement a variety of programs emphasizing collaborative work with the aim of building networks among young people who will be the future bearers of Japan-China exchanges. In FY2021, we held the University Student Exchange Program, in which university students from both countries collaborate in planning and holding cultural events, as well as “RLEAD ASIA,” an exchange program in which students from both countries engage in discussions using business as a pathway. Both programs were held online. We also operated the bilingual Japanese-Chinese “Heart to Heart” program website.