Staff writer

"Japan Week" will be held in Tehran sometime around October, becoming the first large-scale cultural event to be staged by Japan in Iran since the Islamic Revolution nearly two decades ago, Foreign Ministry sources said March 18.

The decision has been made in response to an easing of regulations on cultural activities in the Persian Gulf nation under new President Mohammed Khatami and reflects a strong Japanese desire for the further development of friendly bilateral relations, the sources said.

Khatami, a liberal cleric and staunch advocate of greater political and religious freedom, secured the president's post in a surprise landslide victory over Nateq-Nouri, a candidate backed by Iran's conservative leaders, in last May's election.

Although the details of Japan Week have not yet been worked out, exhibits of traditional Japanese dolls, screenings of popular Japanese TV programs and movies, performances of traditional Japanese arts and sports exchanges are now under consideration, the sources said.

They said that senior Japanese and Iranian officials in charge of cultural exchanges will hold talks in Tehran in early May to discuss plans for the event and other matters. One ministry source said that although Japan maintained cultural exchanges with Iran following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, led by the late supreme leader Ayatollah Khomeini, they have since been "extremely limited" because of Iran's strict restrictions on such activities. "But the time has come for Japan to hold a large-scale cultural event like Japan Week because such regulations are being relaxed under President Khatami," the source said.

It is acknowledged that the degree of freedom Japan will have in organizing the event remains unclear. "Despite the changes under President Khatami, there are still many restrictions on cultural activities. Therefore, Japan must fully consult with the Iranian authorities on the details of Japan Week to see what kinds of things are permitted," a senior Japanese diplomat in Tehran said by telephone, requesting anonymity.

Aside from Japan Week, Japan is considering inviting editors of leading Iranian newspapers to attend a joint seminar with their Japanese counterparts in Tokyo during fiscal 1998, which begins in April, the sources said.