Tomorrow is the start of the Sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in Nairobi, Kenya. Launched in 1993, TICAD is the key platform to drive Japan’s ongoing development initiatives in Africa. TICAD respects African ownership of its own development path, while tapping into multi-stakeholder partnerships to promote openness.

South Korean Culture Minister Kim Jong-deok will attend a culture ministers' conference with his Chinese and Japanese counterparts on Jeju Island [...] Entering its eighth edition, the trilateral meeting on Saturday and Sunday will focus on ways to establish an Asian cultural community as a joint project by the three countries in arts, cultural assets, and the culture-related industry.

Tokyo stole the show at the Olympic closing ceremony in Rio de Janeiro this week as the event's next host city prepares for a cultural charm offensive ahead of the 2020 Games. In a surprise move, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe dressed up as Super Mario at the ceremony

The cultural exchange between Marlborough and Akiruno, Japan moved forward and continued to flourish as students, educators and host families were welcomed by Mayor Arthur Vigeant and the City Council at the council’s July 25th meeting.   The traditional exchange of gifts took place as introductions were made and hospitality warmly extended.

Now that I have been elected Governor of Tokyo, which will host the 2020 Games, I am quickly preparing myself and my team for the grueling tests of management that lie ahead of us. In particular, we must become world-class cost-control accountants, so that the Games are a success not just for the athletes, but also for the citizens of Tokyo and all Japanese. We want to take pride in our Games, and we cannot do that if we hobble future generations with debt.

About 20 U.S. high school students enjoyed Japanese pop culture together with Japanese university students on Tuesday in Tokyo’s Harajuku area, known as a center of youth culture. The American students are the winners of the National Japan Bowl, a Japanese language competition created by the Japan-America Society of Washington, D.C., in 1992. 

This pattern was seen after the Second World War too, with the most notable example being of Tokyo hosting the 1964 Olympics to shed Japan of its militaristic past. In fact, one of the first major actions of post-apartheid South Africa under Nelson Mandela was to host the Rugby Union World Cup in 1995. [...] The success of it — South Africa became the champions — and the improved image of the country convinced Mandela to lend support for the FIFA World Cup bid.

Music and politics in Japan have rarely been closer. From the government’s use of AKB48 member Haruka Shimazaki in a military recruitment advertising campaign to its funding of pop culture as a form of “soft power” through initiatives like Cool Japan, music has been used by the establishment to advance various goals.