Eastern youth on peace tour to Japan

The Foreign Affairs Ministry of Japan has invited nine Sri Lankan youth from the East representing Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim communities for a "Peace Promotion Tour of Japan".

During their one week stay in Japan, the youth delegation will pay courtesy calls on Representative of the Government of Japan on Peace-Building, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction in Sri Lanka and Parliamentary Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Yasushi Akashi.

The program includes a briefing on local governance in Japan, discussions with officials of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Japanese NGOs operating in Sri Lanka.

An exchange of views with university academics and students in Tokyo is also scheduled.

They will also visit Kyoto, Miyajima Island and the Peace Memorial Museum in Hiroshima and to attend a bomb victim's lecture.

The primary objective of the tour is to provide Sri Lankan youths from the East an opportunity to familiarize themselves with issues concerning local government and nation building as well as enabling them to engage in confidence building activities among various ethnic groups to contribute to peace and stability in Sri Lanka. The tour will end on February 24.

This is the fourth in the series, following the past invitation programs in 2004, 2006 and 2008.