The Japan Foundation carries out its programs and acitivities in the following three major categories:

I. Art & Cultural Exchange
II. Japanese Language Education
III. Japanese Studies and Intellectual Exchange

Each program within these categories support international exchange activities by individuals and organizations. The Japan Foundation also plans and stages events, and provides continuous support for universities and other organizations overseas. Provision of information obtained through research is another activity of the Japan Foundation.

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According to the Japan Foundation's Survey on Japanese - Language Education Aboard 2006" approximately 2.98 million people outside of Japan are studying Japanese, in 133 countries and regions around the world. If the number of people studying Japanese independently was included, it is estimated that the figure would be several times higher.

In response to the keen and growing interest in studying Japanese, the Japan Foundation provides assistance for Japanese - language education and the study of Japanese in a number of ways. We provide support to Japanese language teachers, educational organizations, and students; dispatch Japanese language specialists abroad; and conduct the Japanese - Language Proficiency Test and develop and disseminate teaching materials.

The Japan Foundation introduces diverse aspects of Japanese culture to people all over the world, by promoting human exchanges that bring together artists and eminent persons as well as people at the community level. Tha Japan Foundation has promoted such exchanges through a wide a range of cultural events and programs in the visual arts, performing arts, media, and publications. From traditional fine arts to contemporary art, these activities present the richness and diversity of Japanese culture, and in keeping with the true sense of international exchange, help to promote understanding among cultures in a borderless world.

To foster better understanding of Japanese society and its culture, the Japan Foundation provides assistance and fellowships to researchers and offers support to institutions active in the field of Japanese studies. We also organize exchange programs for intellectual leaders, seminars and symposiums in quest of solutions to common challenges facing our planet, and encourage intercultural dialogue.

In the pursuit of ASEAN Regionalism and Economix Integration, the importance of investing in the youths has repeatedly been acknowledged not only by the ASEAN Member Countries, but also by the Dialogue Partners. ASEAN Member Countries and the Dialogue Partners have thus identified human resource development, people to people exchange and narrowing the development gaps to be important cooperation areas, which can be realized by channeling the efforts into the younger generation. Furthermore, the Leaders of the member countries of the East Asia Summit (EAS) agreed at its 2nd meeting in Cebu, the Philipines in January 2007 to initiate concrete projects in education, including youth exchange, and other priority EAS cooperation areas.

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