An exhibition of a collection of photographs from the Japan Professional Photographers Society, ‘Japan’s Coastline and its People’, was launched by Crown Prince Tupouto’a ‘Ulukalala at the Visitors Information Centre, Hala Vuna, Nuku’alofa on 9 September.

The exhibition featured 97 photographs that were selected for the Tongan exhibition from a bigger exhibition that was held in Tokyo earlier this year, to mark the 65th anniversary of the establishment of the Japan Professional Photographers Society.  

The Japanese Ambassador to Tonga His Excellency Mr Yukio Numata in a welcoming speech at the launching ceremony stressed the significance of how the photographs unveiled the intertwined relation of the sea and the daily life of the Japanese coastal people. Japan has 35,672 kilometers of coastline.

He said that there is a plan to take the exhibition to the outer islands.

The Vice President of the Japan Professional Photographers Society, Norihiko Matsumoto, who accompanied the exhibition to Tonga, reminded the gathering that Japan has 6847 islands, and only 400 are inhabited. Japan has a population of 127 million people.