Fund Forum book presented, symposium held in Japan

May 29, 2012

A series of events organized by Fund Forum are set to take place in Japan’s Wakayama prefecture from May 22 to June 8. The events include a symposium titled “Attention: Fund Forum Uzbekistan” held on May 22 and a string of presentations of the book “Fund Forum: A Practical Model of Civil Society” scheduled to take place in the cities of Wakayama, Gobo and Kinokawa.

The May 22 symposium in Wakayama was attended by over 350 members of Japan’s political, public and business communities. Keynote speeches were delivered by Wakayama governor Nisaka Ehinobu, a deputy of the Japanese parliament Toshihiro Nikai, the chairman of the Japan National Tourism Organization Norifumi Ide and the vice-president of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) Tetsusaburo Hayashi.

The symposium was an opportunity for the Japanese public to learn about Fund Forum’s projects as well as activities it oversees in Uzbekistan and abroad. The speakers held a constructive dialog and exchange of opinions as well as discussing the prospects of cooperation with Fund Forum in culture, art, science and economic dialog.

The symposium resulted in the establishment of “Uzbekistan-Wakayama Association for Cultural Exchange” as a regional cultural center affiliated with Fund Forum. The Association will be headed by the deputy of the Japanese Parliament Toshihiro Nikai, who initiated an Uzbek-Japanese business forum during his tenure as Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry.

The presentations of the book along with Uzbek music concerts will take place at the mayor’s offices in Wakayama, Gobo and Kinokawa until June 8.

The events have been organized by Fund Forum in partnership with the Wakayama prefecture government and with assistance from the Japan National Tourism Organization, JETRO and JICA. Technical assistance was provided by the Japan Institute of Photography, which had organized an exhibition titled “Tokyo at 100” as part of Style.Uz Art Week in October 2011 in Tashkent.

The events have been covered by Japanese media outlets such as TV Wakayama, Wakayama Hosou radio, the Mainichi, the Sankei and the Asahi.