Provision of Japanese Television Program to Afghanistan

February 4, 2005

1. The Japan Foundation has decided to donate, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a Farsi-dubbed version of the NHK TV series "Oshin" (*Note 1) to Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA), the Afghan national TV station based on Kabul. On February 6, the Japan Foundation will conclude the agreement on this donation with RTA and will conduct in Kabul a ceremony to exchange the documents.
   
   *Note 1: The NHK program is a serial drama in 297 episodes that originally aired in Japan for one year from 1983 with an average viewer rate of 52.6%, reaching 62.9% at the highest. Afghanistan will be the 61st country/region to broadcast it overseas.
   
   
2. This assistance will be extended by the Japan Foundation to the RTA for the purpose of helping the people of Afghanistan to lead a richer intellectual life, together with the facilities and equipment for RTA's transmitting station that the Government of Japan has already provided as part of its reconstruction assistance for Afghanistan through grant aid.
   
   
3. "Oshin", which has already been broadcast in 60 overseas countries/regions (*Note 2) has produced considerable reaction in each country. The program is expected to encourage the people of Afghanistan in the reconstruction process as well as promote the understanding of Japanese culture in the country by presenting the life of the heroine, Oshin, who overcame many difficulties in an era of significant change throughout Japanese society.
   
   *Note 2: In October 2003, the Japan Foundation presented 96 early "Oshin" episodes (of the heroine's girlhood) to the Iraqi Media Network as well.

Related Information (Japan-Afghanistan Relations)