A delegation of dignitaries from Shinagawa, Japan, will arrive in Portland today for a five-day celebration of a sister city relationship that began more than 25 years ago. Although Portland has three other sister cities -- Cap Haitien, Haiti; Mytilene, Greece; and Archangel, Russia -- Shinagawa was Portland's first.

"Welcome to Seoul Namsan Gugakdang, where classical music is lively breathing." So reads the greeting on the Web site of one of three South Korean concert halls where the Philadelphia Orchestra will perform during its Far East tour.

More than 20 years have passed since the Berlin Wall fell, yet Japan remains shut out from the rest of humanity by its own wall. Though it is a shapeless partition that we cannot touch, it nevertheless cuts off the country from the world beyond its shores.

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has begun adjusting his schedule with the aim of visiting China on June 12, "Japan Day" of the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai.

On May 1, the modern-day equivalent, the World Expo, will open in Shanghai, China. Given China's rising international profile, the Shanghai Expo seems to be less about inventions and more about geopolitics.

One of the more colourful off-piste events at New York fashion week last month was Tokyo Fashion Festa. “The objective is to promote an understanding of Japan, a better image, or the correct image,” says Takeshi Akahori, director of the public diplomacy department at Tokyo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

APDS Blogger: Tala Mohebi

Scientific links between the UK and Japan have been boosted by the announcement of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council's ( BBSRC ) latest Japan Partnering Awards.