The Embassy of Japan in collaboration with the Honorary Consulate-General of Japan in Malta and the Ministry for Tourism and Culture is presenting the Japan Cultural Events in Malta as part of the 2005 Japan-EU Year of People to People Exchanges.

The programme of events, which is being held at St James Cavalier, Valletta includes a photo exhibition, a film festival, Japanese cooking, a Japanese ink drawing competition and Japanese language laboratory.

For this occasion, Training Squadron’s ships of the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force consisting of Kashima, Yuugiri and Murasame arrived in Malta yesterday. There will be an open day on board these ships today and tomorrow, a Japan-Malta judo exhibition tomorrow at St James Cavalier, an open-air concert by the music band at the Upper Barrakka garden also tomorrow and a friendly competition of soccer and volleyball with the Armed Forces of Malta.

Tourism and Culture Minister Francis Zammit Dimech participated at the opening of the 2005 Japan-EU Year of the People to People Exchanges in Malta yesterday. Minister Zammit Dimech paid tribute to the Embassy of Japan for organising these events which helped foster excellent relations between the people of Japan and the people of Malta. He said that all efforts were being made to enhance relations in all fields between the two countries especially in the fields of culture and tourism.

“The 2005 Japan-EU Year of People to People Exchanges comes at a very interesting juncture for the Maltese people. We have recently celebrated the first anniversary of our accession to the European Union and Malta’s population now exceeded 400,000 – an increase in our population of 31.6 per cent over a period of approximately 60 years, which makes our island the most densely populated country in the EU and the second most densely populated country in the world,” said Minister Francis Zammit Dimech.

He added that he was sure that such activities will help the people of Malta and Japan learn more about their cultures and history and contribute towards attracting more Japanese tourists to Malta.

Minister Zammit Dimech said that the exhibition of photos about 100 years of Tokyo, the film festival where the classic films Scandal and Conflagration will be shown alongside the modern films Postman Blues, Blue and Warabinokou-to the Bracken Fields and other activities will help the Maltese public to know more about the Japanese way of living.