A new educational facility recently opened in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, with the help of a grant from the Qatar Friendship Fund (QFF).
On May 28, an opening ceremony was held in Iwaki, attended by Qatari Foreign Minister Khalid Bin Mohammed Al-Attiyah, Qatari Ambassador Yousef Bilal and Iwaki Mayor Toshio Shimizu.
Named "Elem" for "education" in Arabic, the facility is designed to give visiting school groups the opportunity to experience life planning and to gain skills that will be crucial to them in the future. Set in a simulated city, students will spend a day as adults and learn about possible future occupations and skills regarding banking, utilities, budgeting, saving and proper consumer behavior, through the programs provided by nonprofit organization Junior Achievement Japan.