CHILDREN TO GET INVOLVED IN JAPANESE HOMESTAY PROJECT

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ A second group--89 Mongolian children--headed for Japan Monday to take part in the Jenesys Homestay project. After participating in a common program in Tokyo (orientation, introductory lecture and observation), these young people majoring in Japanese language and natural sciences will be divided into subgroups of 20 to 30 to join a local program in prefectures of Okayama, Tottori and Yamaguchi. The group program will be composed of school visits and home stays to promote mutual understanding, friendship and trust through firsthand exchange with Japanese students and the locals. The students will come home February 27, after staying in Japan for 10 days. Jensey 2.0 project was a new initiative of Japan’s commitment to further promote people-to-people exchange and build closer relations between Japan and Pacific Island Countries. This project was aimed to enhance the mutual relationship and friendship between Japanese and Pacific Youth and to regenerate the Japanese economy through Tourist attraction and advertising Japan made products under the concept of “Cool Japan”. At the Second East Asia Summit (EAS) held in January 2007, the Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe announced a five-year program to implement under Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths (JENESYS), inviting about 6,000 young people to Japan mainly from ASEAN member countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, India, China, Mongolia, Australia, New Zealand, SAARC member countries (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, the Maldives, Afghanistan).