2005 was a special year for Austria, as it marks the 60th anniversary of the inauguration of the second republic after World War II, the 50th anniversary of the conclusion of the State Treaty restoring the country to independence, and the 10th anniversary of Austria’s membership in the EU, and many commemorative events were held.　Against this backdrop, the EU-Japan Year of People-to-People Exchanges was held with a spirit that Austria and Japan should celebrate this memorable year together.

In Austria, under the auspices of Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr. Ursula Plassnik, Federal Minister for Education, Science and Culture Elisabeth Gehrer, and State Secretary for the Arts and Media Franz Morak, an Organizing Committee comprised of　members of the Federal Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, the Arts Division of the Federal Chancellery and the Embassy of Japan in Austria and an Honorary Committee comprised of eminent people from various fields were established to carry out the preparatory work. The nearly three years of effort on the part of those involved bore fruit, and 120 official events were held within Austria alone, the contents of which spanned a truly wide variety and reflected the diversity of the exchange between Japan and Austria.

First, in the field of performing arts, in addition to traditional ones such as Kabuki-dance and Noh and Kyogen, a variety of performances were held, including folk and traditional dances and ballet. In the field of music, starting with the NHK Symphony Orchestra, performances of both western and traditional Japanese music were held by various groups and individuals. There were also multiple special feature viewings of Japanese films. In the field of fine arts, a number of exhibitions of varying sizes were held, such as "Chikaku – Time and Memory in Japan" hosted by the Japan Foundation and other partners. Additionally, several young Japanese artists were invited to Vienna by the Federal Chancellery of Austria in order to deepen the exchange. Exchange was also actively carried out through the introduction of traditional Japanese arts such as the tea ceremony, ikebana, shodo (calligraphy), and kumihimo (braiding), as well as martial arts such as karate, judo, aikido, and kyudo (Japanese archery). In the field of academics, the 11th Conference of the European Association for Japanese Studies (EAJS), which meets every three years, was held at the University of Vienna. Some 700 researchers focused on Japanese Studies from Europe and regions all over the world gathered for the conference. Seminars and lectures were held on diverse specialized areas of research. Various Austrian towns and villages which are sister cities of Japanese municipalities also actively participated in the EU-Japan Year.

The Museum of Applied Arts and Contemporary Art (MAK) in Vienna was the site for the official opening ceremony of the Year of People-to-People Exchanges in Austria, which was held on February 1. Here, a Japanese manga (comic books) exhibition and a series of lectures were actively carried out, and more than 4,000 visitors were recorded at the "Lange Nacht der Museen" (open night at the museums) held on October 8, where they were able to come in contact with Japanese culture and society. At the MAK, the opening of a ukiyo-e (Japanese woodcut prints) exhibition was held in conjunction with the official closing ceremony on November 29, which was attended on the Austrian side by Federal Chancellor Dr. Wolfgang Schüssel, causing quite a sensation.

There is a long history of exchange between Japan and Austria that stretches as far back as the Habsburg Dynasty, and the EU-Japan Year of People-to-People Exchanges has provided an opportunity for giving renewed momentum to cultural and people-to-people exchanges. It is hoped that the network cultivated through the Year of People-to-People Exchanges will hereafter be utilized to its full potential for the further intensification of Japan-Austria exchanges.