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Date: Thursday, September 15, 2022
Organized by JICA and the National Institute of Diplomacy and International Relations (NIDIR)
Location: NIDIR
Main participants: Shinichi Kitaoka, Special Advisor to JICA; Cheem Kyaly, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of Cambodia; Thien Samnang, Director of NIDIR
Background and Objectives
On Thursday, September 15, 2022, Mr. Shinichi Kitaoka, JICA Special Advisor (former JICA President), delivered the “JICA Chair’s Special Lecture” at the National Institute of Diplomacy and International Relations (NIDIR) under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Cambodia, mainly for the staff of the Ministry. Approximately 90 participants, including students who aspire to become diplomats in the future, attended the lecture.
The JICA Chair Lectures have been held at the Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP) in Cambodia, and due to the popularity of the lectures at RUPP, the JICA Chair Lectures have been started at NIDIR this year. The JICA Chair is expected to promote and deepen the understanding and research on Japan in Japan through the JICA Chair.
This was the first time the JICA chair gave a lecture to NIDIR. The event was a great success, providing an opportunity to deepen understanding of Japan’s modernization and its historical and social background, and to further increase interest in Japan’s development experience.
Program Content
Welcome Remarks by Mr. Chem Kalithy, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of Cambodia
Opening Remarks by Ms. Atsuko Kamei, Director, JICA Cambodia Office
Donation Ceremony of Khmer version of the DVD “Chapter 7: Understanding Japan’s Modernization” and books related to Japanese studies (such as the English version of “The True Story of the U.S.-European Circulars”)
Special Lecture by Special Advisor Kitaoka “Meiji Restoration: Start of Full-Scale Modernization
question and answer session
Closing Remarks by NIDIR Director Tian Samnang
Summary of Keynote Speech and Q&A Session
At the beginning of the meeting, Mr. Cheem Kyaly, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of Cambodia, expressed his condolences to the late former Prime Minister Abe, and all participants offered a moment of silence. Special Advisor Kitaoka expressed his appreciation for the friendly and sincere attitude of the Cambodian people toward Japan.
In the lecture, he mentioned the 200 years of peace that served as a background for the development of culture and literacy in the Edo period, and introduced the democratic revolution known as the Meiji Restoration that was established on the basis of these accumulations, emphasizing that peace is essential for the development of a nation. In the Q&A session that followed, questions were asked about the background of Japan’s rapid modernization and the reasons why Japan was able to maintain its own culture while modernizing, leading to a lively discussion that went beyond the scheduled time.
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