The Japan Media Communication Center (JAMCO) exchanges television programs with a view to fostering mutual understanding between Japan and other countries and to contribute to the development of broadcasting and social development in the developing world. Since its establishment in 1991, JAMCO has been holding an international symposium almost every year on a range of topics relating to broadcasting.

The role and new possibilities for educational content in developing countries is the theme for this online symposium. I look forward to the presentations, debates and views that will be expressed by researchers, experts, as well as people directly involved in education.

The main task of JAMCO is to produce international editions of Japanese television programs. Programs suitable for developing countries are selected and translated into English, Spanish, French and other languages as required. JAMCO currently has 1,744 of these programs in its library. They span a range of genres, including drama, children’s programs, educational programs, and documentaries. To date, JAMCO has supplied 13,000 programs to 97 countries in Asia, the Pacific, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and elsewhere around the globe. The programs are aired in English or otherwise adapted to other languages.

The fundamental task of JAMCO is to supply programs, and this online symposium goes back to the basics, as it were, looking at the role of television content in the educational program sector, which is indispensable for social development, especially in the developing world. It will consider the current situation and issues around the globe. Raising educational standards, the creation of peaceful national structures, and steady economic growth are the biggest issues for the developing world. So bearing this mind, the symposium will start off with presentations about the situation in a number of developing countries, and will provide a wide range of perspectives, including the changes and future potential of media, for fostering discussions. It follows that this endeavor should also provide many suggestions and points of reference for the subsequent activities of JAMCO.