understanding of international cooperation including ODA. Those children are more likely to contribute to international cooperation when they get older.

An increasing number of students in Japanese primary schools and junior high schools are given opportunities to learn about problems confronted by developing countries. Japanese primary schools and junior high schools started using some course hours for "integrated study" and using the time to teach students about international understanding, which naturally overlaps with development education. This is because a lecture on international understanding is on the list of subjects that could be taught during a class of integrated study. The Japanese government has been actively taking measures to promote development education. For example, MOFA launched, through its ODA website, Development Education website which contains learning material for compulsory education.

Since the fiscal year 2002, JICA and JBIC have also been making efforts to promote development education through such activities as dispatching former Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers and others to schools to give lectures on international cooperation, holding an essay contest for junior high school and high school students, and accepting students on school excursions.

In addition to such activities as mentioned above, the Japanese government held Development Education for Local Leaders' Training and Development Education for Promotion and Networking in Local Areas in fiscal year 2003 in addition to Development Education for Promotion and Networking in Local Areas and National Conference of Development Educators, which the government had been holding since before fiscal year 2003. JICA held Practical Development Education Seminar and implemented domestic programs targeted at students. JICA also appointed former Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers as international cooperation promoters of international associations in many parts of Japan. In this way, JICA has been taking various measures and making efforts to promote development education mainly at primary schools and junior high schools from various perspectives.

## (4) Information Disclosure and Public Relations

It is indispensable to obtain Japanese citizens' understanding of and support for ODA, which plays a key role in Japan's diplomacy. To promote understanding and support of the general public, the Japanese government has been increasing public disclosure of information concerning ODA.

A former volunteer giving a lecture at a school

☑ Active public relations and information provision in Japan

In order to provide Japanese people with information about ODA and give them opportunities to learn about ODA projects, the following measures have been taken in addition to the issue of government publications including the ODA White Paper.

## [1] Website and ODA mail magazine

The government has been increasing the amount of information disclosed through ODA-related websites. MOfA, JICA, and JBIC have opened their respective websites, which provide website users with a great amount of information in a timely manner and give them easy-to-understand introduction to ODA.

In addition to the ODA website, MOFA issues a mail magazine regarding ODA. As of August 18, 2004, 49 newsletters had been sent to subscribers. These newsletters contain timely information concerning economic cooperation and also carry episodes related to assistance activities and stories about hands-on experiences of staff members of overseas Japanese Embassies, Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers, Senior Overseas Volunteers and others. Anyone who desires to subscribe to the mail magazine can make the necessary registration through the ODA website at any time. As of August 16, 2004, the number of registered subscribers was over 9,082.

## [2] ODA Town Meetings

ODA Town Meetings are held on a regular basis in many parts of Japan as part of the efforts to promote communication with citizens about ODA, with the aim of explaining recent developments related to the ODA reform to the general public and directly listening to candid public opinions about the ODA reform and ODA in general. The meetings had been held 23 times by June 2004, in each of which frank opinions were exchanged between the general public and ODA.