The Japan Media Communication Center (JAMCO) supplies outstanding broadcast programs for use in international exchange, the promotion of mutual understanding between Japan and other countries, and contributions to social development and the advance of broadcasting around the world. As one of our key activities, we have hosted a conference on the media and international cooperation almost every year since our founding in 1991.

For the current fiscal year, the theme of the 32nd JAMCO International Symposium is Messages for an Increasingly Divided World. Academics, other experts and people directly engaged in international cooperation, education, business etc. will report and discuss their findings online.

One of JAMCO’s core roles is to select Japanese programs suitable for broadcast in developing regions of the world and produce international versions of them translated into English, Spanish, French and other languages. The resulting program library extends across a wide range of genres from schools’ programs and documentaries to drama.

More than 14,500 programs have already been distributed under this system to 101 countries of Asia, the Pacific, Central and South America, Africa, Europe and other regions, and the numbers continue to grow. Some are retranslated for broadcast in the local language of the country, while others are used at universities and other educational institutions.

The world in 2024 is beset with many crises. The conflict between the Israeli army and Islamic group, Hamas, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, now in its third year, and the food and energy crises and inflation that threaten people’s ways of life have all brought great unease. Solutions to such crises depend on close cooperation between, and initiatives from, advanced and developing countries alike.

This year’s symposium will hear reports and discussions on such themes as the international cooperation work that continues all through these crises, cross-cultural understanding in schools, support for refugees, and development assistance. I trust all will provide many people with valuable insights. The findings will also be used in the further development of JAMCO’s own activities. I depend for this, as ever, on everyone’s kind support.