Slovenia, a small country with a population of about 2 million and an area of roughly 20,000 square kilometers, became a member of the EU in 2004, and 10 events were carried out for the EU-Japan Year of People-to-People Exchanges.

Out of the events which were held in a number of fields, such as special feature viewings of films made by young Japanese directors, exhibits to introduce Japanese contemporary art, and seminars and lectures in the field of architecture, the main event was the Festival of Japanese Arts and Culture held from March through April in the Cankarjev Dom, a comprehensive arts facility. Among the wide variety of performances and exhibitions that were held at the festival, the Kabuki-dance performance on March 14 drew a sold-out crowd to a hall that can accommodate approximately 600 people and was even broadcast as a special program on Slovenian television. Moreover, the "Passage to the Future," an exhibition of works by new-generation artists held in Celje provided a good opportunity to introduce Japan to local cities.

Slovenia is a young country, having attained independence in 1991, but it boasts an abundance of nature and a long history and traditions. Regarding its relations with Japan, diplomatic relations were established between the two countries in 1992, and vigorous exchange progressed in the form of the Japan-Slovenia Parliamentarian League for Friendship and the Japan-Slovenia Friendship Society. The Department of Asian and African Studies at the University of Ljubljana is actively promoting Japanese language education, and has produced a great number of outstanding researchers focused on Japan. In 2006 Japan will open an Embassy in Slovenia, and it is hoped that the network cultivated through the Year of People-to-People Exchanges will hereafter be utilized to its full potential so that Japan-Slovenia exchanges will further intensify with the opening of the Embassy.