News Release from ANA Strategic Research Institute
No. 16-001 September 28, 2016 ANA Strategic Research Institute Co., Ltd.
Introduction of Japan’s Appeal by European Students
ANA Strategic Research Institute Co., Ltd. (“ARI”) has been supporting the revitalization of different regions in Japan. As part of this effort, and based on a memorandum of cooperation concluded with the Centre Européen d'Études Japonaises d'Alsace (CEEJA) last November, ARI will send European students from Alsace with an interest in Japan to the Japanese municipalities that the company maintains partner relationships with.
The students, who will stay in the municipalities for about a year, are expected to discover Japan„s appeal through their experiences in these regions and introduce their findings to people in Alsace and elsewhere in Europe. This will help to increase Japan‟s attractiveness to Europeans, which will in turn help the Japanese regions increase the number of inbound visitors and local tourist attractions.
(1) The students dispatched to the Japanese municipalities will discover the appeal of the various regions by experiencing regional cultures as young foreign nationals.
(2) They will then propose measures to increase the number of inbound visitors to the regions they have visited.
(3) They will also disseminate information on the appeal of these regions outside of Japan through SNS and other media. *Details may differ by region.
This project is fully supported by CEEJA, including support provided for the planning and selection of students. Students participating in the project will report their experiences in Japan through the CEEJA website (presently under renewal) and various other means to people in Alsace and other regions in Europe.
Moreover, during the Christmas market to be held in Colmar, Alsace from the end of November to the end of December, ARI members will receive support from CEEJA to sell local products from partner municipalities in Japan in local villas and cottages, with the students participating in the project, in order to introduce Japanese culture to more and more people.
*Information
[ANA Strategic Research Institute Co., Ltd. (ARI)]
ARI (head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; president: Akira Okada) is an affiliated company of ANA Holdings. As a research institute, ARI goes beyond conventional wisdom and transcends the ordinary business scope of a typical airline company to examine a broad range of cross-cutting strategies for the airline business, and utilizes the knowledge accumulated by the ANA Group to foster industry-government-academia collaboration for the enhancement of university education, local revitalization, tourism promotion, and other purposes.
With the aim of enhancing multi-faceted cooperation and promoting mutual understanding between Japan and Europe, ARI concluded a memorandum of cooperation with CEEJA last November. CEEJA is working to strengthen friendship ties between Japan and Europe in the Alsace region, a geopolitical center in Europe that has been foraging friendly relations with Japan for 150 years.
[Centre Européen d'Études Japonaises d'Alsace (CEEJA)]
CEEJA was established in 2001 at the initiative of the Haut-Rhin departmental government and the Alsace regional government to promote economic, academic and cultural exchange between Japan and Europe, particularly in the Alsace region, and it now has ties to more than 100 affiliate institutions in Japan and Europe. Together with supporting Japanese companies in their efforts to set up and expand business operations in Europe, CEEJA assists numerous universities in Japan and Europe as one of Europe‟s top-class research facilities in Japan studies. In 2013, it was presented with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Award by the Japanese government in recognition of its contributions to international goodwill.
[Geopolitical Importance of Alsace in Europe]
Alsace, a region rich in the histories of both France and Germany, is located in the center of Europe, adjacent to Switzerland and near Italy, and was part of the Holy Roman Empire long ago. Inhabitants of this multicultural region tend to regard themselves as “European citizens.” The Council of Europe (47 member states, including Russia) and the European Parliament (27 EU countries) are based in Strasbourg; and the Consulate-General of Japan is also located in the capital city of Alsace, which is a historically and politically important region that connects European countries.
Contacts: Public Relations, ANA Strategic Research Institute Co., Ltd. Keiichi Yamada: 050-3756-6700 Takashi Ono: 050-3756-6694