1. A group of 138 Indian youth, who are studying Japanese language, is scheduled to visit Japan from 3rd to 13th March 2013, under the Kizuna Project youth exchange programme introduced by the Government of Japan.

2. During their stay, the delegation will visit Fukushima Prefecture, where they will witness the current situation of the disaster- affected areas, as well as receive lectures about the lessons learnt from the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami of 11 March 2011, and also observe the recovery process of those areas.

3. Through this programme, the participants are expected not only to deepen their understanding of the current status of the recovery of the affected areas, but also to promote people-to-people exchange between Japan and India.

Kizuna (meaning “bonds”) Project

The Japanese Government has launched this Youth-Exchange Project with Asia-Oceania and North America. Under this project, more than 10,000 youths from 41 countries and regions are going to have an opportunity to participate in the related programs. This project is a part of Japanese reconstruction plans and aims at promoting global understanding of Japan’s revival efforts in response to the Great East Japan Earthquake. The project was approved by the Japanese Diet as a part of the third supplementary budget in November 2011.