In a bid to put Japan's often stormy relations with China and South Korea on a more stable footing over the long term, the government is embarking on a multimillion-yen program to promote friendship and mutual understanding among the three Asian neighbors.
Foreign Ministry sources said Monday that the ministry will seek about 17 million yen in its fiscal 2002 budget request to promote exchanges between private-sector intellectuals from the three counties in a wide range of areas, possibly including history education.
The budgetary request for a "joint intellectual work" program among the three nations -- the first program of its kind to be sought by the Foreign Ministry -- will be submitted to the Finance Ministry at the end of the month, the sources said.