The 5th Seminar: Dialogue among Civilizations between Japan and the Islamic World

February 16, 2007

"The 5th Seminar of the Dialogue among Civilizations between Japan and the Islamic World" will be held in Tokyo on February 20 (Tue) and 21 (Wed) under the joint auspices of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Japan and the Kingdom of Bahrain.
This seminar was proposed as one of the pillars of "Toward Multi-layered Relations with Gulf Countries (Kono Initiative)" announced by Mr. Yohei Kono, then Minister for Foreign Affairs, when he visited Gulf Countries in January 2001. The first seminar was launched in Bahrain in March 2002 and the following seminars were held in Tokyo, Teheran, and Tunis. Until now, four seminars have been held in total.
In addition to the co-hosting state, Bahrain, a number of intellectuals from Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, and other Islamic countries, and 13 intellectuals from Japan including Professor Yuzo Itagaki, Professor Emeritus of the University of Tokyo, will take part in the seminar. The participants will have free discussions on the theme of "Co-existence and Harmony of Civilizations: Role of Dialogue among Civilizations" and three sub themes: "Development and Education" and "Environment and Life" and "Cultural Diversity and Role of Media."
It is expected that this seminar will contribute to promoting the mutual understanding between Japan and Islamic countries through free discussions by intellectuals from both sides, while sharing the common perception on how various civilizations can co-exist and maintain harmony notwithstanding the differences of cultures and ideologies.

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