Ambassador of Japan to the Maldives Her Excellency Mrs Takeuchi Midori formally handed over a donation of 127 books to Chancellor Dr Hassan Hameed of the Maldives National University, at a ceremony held at the Maldives National University Central Library today.
The books were donated under the “Read Japan” project, which is an initiative launched in 2008 by The Nippon Foundation, with the objective of providing an accurate picture of contemporary Japan to readers all around the world. The books were selected by an international panel of experts and they cover five major genres pertaining to Japan:
1. Politics and International Relations
2. Economics and Business
3. Society and Culture
4. Literature
5. Arts and History
Previously, The Nippon Foundation had made book donations under “Read Japan” to the National Library of Maldives and Maldives College of Higher Education in 2010, Hiriya School in 2017, and the Civil Service Training Institute in 2018.
The Government of Japan hopes that this donation to the Maldives National University will evoke interest in Japan among the youth and students, and provide them with a deeper understanding of contemporary Japan.
The “Read Japan” book donation marks the latest connection in a longstanding series of collaborative efforts between the Government of Japan and the Maldives National University, including historical links such as the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteer or JOCV program, which had dispatched several Japanese language teachers to the Maldives National University. Other notable events include the “Induction Seminar for JICA Chair Program” held in February 2022, and the symposium on “Ocean Governance and Sustainable Development” held in March 2023, both of which were held at the Maldives National University as part of the commemoration of 55 years of diplomatic relations between Japan and the Maldives. Most recently, the Faculty of Arts at the University with support from the Embassy of Japan has organized a basic Japanese Language Course set to commence in August 2023.
