The government aims to create a fresh network between Japan and people overseas with the announcement Friday of new diplomacy hubs to promote Japanese culture and industry.
The hubs, each dubbed a "Japan House," will be set up in busy urban districts of London, Los Angeles and Sao Paulo in 2017 in a bid to attract as many people as possible, Foreign Ministry Press Secretary Yasuhisa Kawamura said at a news conference at the International House of Japan in Tokyo. "Japan House aims to be an overseas hub to deliver Japan's various charms to more people in the world" through events and exhibitions, Kawamura said.
"Moreover, Japan House sets out to be a foothold for motivated individuals who want to express Japan." The initiative is based on proposals made in a growth strategy Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet adopted in June 2015 to shore up Japan's diplomatic power.