The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), an independent governmental agency that coordinates official development assistance (ODA) for the government, has played an important role for the country in its relations with foreign nations. The following is the story of a JICA staff member who ...

Africa returns to Yokohama in the form of the fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD V), which is being held through June 3. Since the Port of Yokohama opened in 1859, which marked the end of Japan’s isolation during the Edo Period ...

With the emphasis on people-to-people exchanges and the increasing demand for human resources with international mind-sets, the Delegation of the European Union to Japan offers some academic opportunities for the young generation in Japan who will be the opinion leaders in the future. The ...

The Delegation of the EU to Japan will open its premises to the public during the Europa House Open Day event on May 25. Since the delegation moved from its previous location in the Sanbancho area of Chiyoda Ward to its new premises in ...

Tokyo Symphony Orchestra has returned to its home at Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall. The orchestra was homeless for two years after the hall in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, was severely damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011. On the afternoon of ...

This year marks the bicentennials of the births of two great composers: Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) and Richard Wagner (1813-83), both giants of the classical music world who brought opera to the peak of its artistic expression in the 19th century. There will be a ...

Coinciding with the second anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake, Tokyo Opera City will be filled with the powerful voices of Japanese choir group Ritsuyukai, featuring new Japanese choral works. Comprising 15 amateur choirs under the direction of Japanese conductor Fumiaki Kuriyama, Ritsuyukai ...

What would it be like to make a living using foreign language skills as a freelance professional? Missa Takahashi, an interpreter and translator of English, French and Italian, shares how she established her career, expanded her work and deepened her understanding of language and ...

Pianist Tomoko Yazawa always thinks about her music with the future in mind. However, for her latest album, “Playing in the Dark,” she made a rare diversion into the past — specifically, France at the end of the 19th century. Although Yazawa was classically ...

Opening 2013 on a cultured note, the Slovak Chamber Orchestra (SCO) tours Japan from Jan. 5 through Jan. 18. Founded by violinist and then Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra concertmaster Bohdan Warchal (1930-2000) in 1960, SCO has developed into one of the most popular groups in ...