Dear SSJ-Forum,

I am pleased to invite you to an international symposium on Intercultural Cities in Asia and Europe / Communicate, Collaborate, and Create: Our Communities for Tomorrow, held on Wednesday, January 18th, 2012.

Since the early 90s, a concept of Tabunka-Kyosei or intercultural community building has attracted the attention of policy makers and experts in the Japanese cities that found themselves confronted with a sudden and large influx of migrants. Further to their experiences they have since implemented a number of policy practices in this field.

Meanwhile, in Europe, the concept of the "intercultural city" is attracting attention as a new direction in urban policy. An intercultural city views diversity, especially that of its immigrant community, not as a threat or a problem to be solved, but as a positive source of dynamism, innovation, creativity, and growth.
Twenty-one European cities are currently exchanging expertise and experiences under the Intercultural City Programme started in 2008 by the Council of Europe.

The purpose of this symposium is to explore the potential of leveraging cultural diversity for better community building by having presentations of city mayors from Japan, Korea, and Europe and comparing their intercultural policies, good practices and challenges. We hope that this endeavor will be a step for building network of intercultural cities across Asia and Europe.

10:00-10:15 Introduction
10:15-11:30 Overview Session
Overview of European cities, Robert PALMER, Council of Europe Overview of Japanese cities, Keizo YAMAWAKI, Meiji University Overview of Korean cities, YANG, Kee-Ho, Sungkonghoe University

11:30-13:00 Lunch Break

13:00-17:20 Mayors’ Summit on Intercultural Cities Mayors of the participating cities will present their work and good practices of their cities in promoting Intercultural Cities approach.
Participating mayors:
[Japan] Yasutomo SUZUKI, Mayor of Hamamatsu City Hiroko NAKAYAMA, Mayor of Shinjuku City Tadayoshi MATSUBARA, Mayor of Ota City [Korea] MOON, Seok-Jin, Mayor of Seodaemun City JUNG, Seung-Bong, Deputy Mayor of Ansan City YEOM, Tae Young, Mayor of Suwon City [Europe] Antonio COSTA, Mayor of Lisbon (Portugal) Marcel LA ROSE, Chairman of District Council, Amsterdam Southeast (The Netherlands) Katarina BERGGREN, Mayor of Botkyrka
(Sweden)

Phil WOOD, Principal Advisor to the Council of Europe on Intercultural Cities Programme Taro TAMURA, Representative Director, Institute for Human Diversity Japan Toshihiro MENJU, Chief Program Officer, Japan Center for International Exchange

17:30-17:40 Joint Declaration
17:40-17:50 Closing

Please register by sending an e-mail with your name, affiliation, telephone number and e-mail address to International Symposium on Intercultural Cities - Registration Office, incul@kytrade.co.jp. Everyone is welcome.

Please put "Registration / Intercultural Cities" in the title of your e-mail.

Very much looking forward to seeing you at the conference!

Attn. Ms. Ono, Ms. Goto, and Mr. Hammond Europe, Middle East and Africa Section Japanese Studies and Intellectual Exchange Department, The Japan Foundation
Tel: 03-5369-6071 / Fax: 03-5369-6041 /

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Ai Goto
Senior Officer
Europe, Middle East and Africa Section.
Japanese Studies and Intellectual Exchange Dep.
THE JAPAN FOUNDATION

4-4-1 Yotsuya, Shinjuku-ku
Tokyo 160-0004 JAPAN
http://www.jpf.go.jp/e

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