“Japan in a Changing World: Post-War Success and Challenges”–a public lecture on this topic was delivered by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Georgia, Imamura Akira at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University. TSU Rector, George Sharvashidze, Deputy Rector Nino Okribelashvili, professors, and students attended the event.

The public lecture was held as part of the events dedicated to the 30thanniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Georgia and Japan.

“It was a very interesting presentation about how Japan developed after World War II; there was a lot of interest from students and a lot of questions were asked. This is a series that continues, and many more diplomats will come to the university to present their vision of how countries are developing in the modern world,” Rector Sharvashidze said.

Japanese Ambassador to Georgia, Imamura Akira noted that the cooperation between the Embassy and TSU willfurther deepenin the future. He said that the issues discussed are especially important in the context of the ongoing war in Ukraine and the cooperation between Georgia and Japan.Ambassador Akira added that he liked students’ questions who were mainly interested in the relations between Georgia and Japan, security issues and exchange programs between the two countries.

TSU student Saba Samushia said that the Japanese Ambassador touched upon the topics interesting to students. “It was a very fruitful meeting. I would like to thank our university for giving us an opportunity to meet with such interesting people. My question was related to the issue of refugees, which is one of the most important problems in Japan,” Saba Samushia noted.

The TSU Faculty of Humanitieshas been running the Far Eastern Regional Studies program for two years with two modules: Japanese Studies and Sinology. Program Manager Nana Gelashvili said that the Center of Japanese Language and Culture was established at TSU through the cooperation between the Embassy of Japan and TSU. “Founded in March 2010 through a Japanese governmental grant, the center offers students lectures in Japanese language, Japanese history, Japanese culture and economy, historic cities of the Far East and other subjects. In parallel with the learning process, the center hosts various events. A film club has been set up and film screenings and discussions are organized for students, with exhibitions of student works on the issues related to Japan.”

“Number of students enrolled inthe program of Japanese Studies is increasing from year to year; such events help students deepen their knowledge, familiarize themselves with politics and culture. The Embassy of Japan has made a great contribution to this. Our program givesstudents deep and comprehensive knowledge not only of the language, but also of cultural history and other areas,”TatiaMemarnishvili, the Japanese language lecturer, noted.

Currently, Tbilisi State University is collaborating with Kobe and Osaka Universities, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)and RIKEN, Japan’s largest comprehensive research institution.

Diplomatic relations between Japan and Georgia were established on August 3, 1992. Since then, the two countries have developed their relations in various fields such as politics, economy, and culture.