Dear SSJ-Friends,

We are pleased to invite you to the next GRIPS Forum at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies on April 18.

Speaker: Ambassador Aftab Seth
Former Ambassador of India to Japan, Chairman of Sun and Sands Advisors Co., Ltd
Theme: "India-Japan Relations: The Possibilities and the Future (tentative)"
Date & Time: Monday, April 18th, 2011 (16:40 - 18:10)
Venue: GRIPS Sokairo Hall, 1st Floor
Language: English, with simultaneous Japanese
interpretation
*Attending the GRIPS Forum is free of charge but prior registration is recommended.

The relationship between Japan and India dates back to more than 1500 years ago, with "knowledge and information" as the bridge between the two countries through the introduction of Indian medicine, mathematics, textiles and technology for other products. Today in the 21st century, IT and other high-tech "knowledge" plays the role of the bridge again. In the past few years, the bilateral relationship between the two countries has expanded to incorporate security and defense issues. At this Forum, Ambassador Seth will discuss the future prospective of the relationship between India, Japan and Asia.

Speakers' Profile:
Aftab Seth is from Bihar in India, graduated from Delhi University, at top of the History course, earned a master's degree of Oxford University in History, Politics and Constitutional Law, and completed his Doctor of Jurisprudence at American Collage of Greece in Athen. During his school days, Seth studied Japanese Language and History in Keio University as an exchange student for a year. In 1968, Seth joined in Ministry of Foreign Affairs of India. He was the Indian Ambassador to Japan, Vietnam and Greece, and also experienced the spokesman for the Foreign Ministry. Seth was President of International Advisory Board and the professor of Global Security Research Institute in Keio University from 2004 to 2010. Seth is currently the Chairman of Sun and Sands Advisors Co. Ltd., and also the administrative director of Japan-India Partnership Forum, a member of Japan-India ICT Growth Strategy Committee of Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication, and the director of Global Indian International School in Edogawa-ku. Seth authored 3 books, including "How Much Weight Can an Elephant Lose?"in 2002 which won the Mahatma Gandhi-Martin LutherKing Daisaku Ikeda Award.

About GRIPS Forum
Since its establishment in 1997, the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS), as the only graduate school in Japan specializing in policy research, has promoted education and research on a wide range of policy issues. Utilizing our vast policy network, this Forum invites leaders from various fields including government, academia and business, as well as staff from our own faculty, to deliver lectures on current policy concerns. The Forum welcomes attendance of GRIPS faculty and students as well as participants from outside the university. Simultaneous interpretation will be available (Japanese/English).

For registration and inquiries, please contact:
GRIPS Forum
Email: gripsforum@grips.ac.jp
Tel: 03-6439-6037
Fax: 03-6439-6030

Please register by Friday, April 15, 2011.

For Access & Map to the GRIPS campus:
http://www.grips.ac.jp/about/access.html
National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS)
7-22-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-8677 If you are arriving by a private car, for security purposes, please inform us of your car details (type, color, and
number) in advance.