The 2nd Japan-Mexico Cultural Summit

July 12, 2006

From July 20 (Thu) to 21 (Fri), the 2nd Japan-Mexico Cultural Summit will be held in Kanazawa City. On July 21, a public symposium for citizens will be held at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa.
At the Summit, experts of the two countries will exchange wide-ranging views on each other's roles and ideal future directions of cultural exchange between Japan and Mexico, mindful of how cultural identity can be maintained in the era of globalization.
The relations between Japan and Mexico are supported by a history of interchange and friendship of more than 400 years, and Mexico is an eminent pro-Japanese country among Latin American countries. The strengthening of Japan-Mexico economic relations, such as the entry into force of the Japan-Mexico Economic Partnership Agreement in April 2005, is remarkable. Taking advantage of this favourable momentum to achieve further close relations between the two countries in a more comprehensive way, it is indispensable for us to promote interchange in wide-ranging fields including cultural aspects.
Holding the Japan-Mexico Cultural Summit was agreed between Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and President Vicente Fox Quesada of Mexico at the Japan-Mexico Summit Meeting in September 2004, to further promote the interchange of the two countries' cultural representatives. The first Summit was held in September 2005 in Mexico City.

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