Seminar Series to Understand the Middle East and Islam

November 18, 2004

A seminar in the Series to Understand the Middle East and Islam, co-hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sapporo City, the Sapporo International Communication Plaza Foundation and the Japan Foundation, will be held in Sapporo on November 29 (Mon) at the Sapporo Grand Hotel, in cooperation with the Middle East Institute of Japan.
At the seminar, H. E. Mr. Hisham Mohamed Mostafa BADR, Egyptian Ambassador to Japan, and Mr. Masakatsu Miyazaki, Professor of Hokkaido University of Education, will give lectures, followed by question and answer sessions and discussion with the audience.
The terrorist attacks in the United States on September 11, the use of force against Iraq and other factors have heightened public interest in Japan toward the Middle Eastern and Islamic countries.
In this situation, it is important for the people of both Japan and the Middle Eastern and Islamic countries to gain a correct understanding, from various viewpoints, of the relations of the two regions and the culture and philosophy of each Middle Eastern and Islamic country, to enhance the establishment of a relationship between the two regions based on mutual understanding. In consideration of the significance of this issue, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is conducting a Seminar Series to Understand the Middle East and Islam in regional cities of Japan.
The Seminar Series took place so far this year on May 28 in Okayama, July 25 in Yamagata, and September 27 in Osaka; the upcoming event will be the fourth.

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