Twenty-two students from high schools and tertiary institutes in Tonga will travel to Japan for three-weeks under the inaugural 'Kizuna Project', a youth exchange program aimed to promote other countries understanding of Japan's road to recovery, after the Great East Japan Earthquake, in March 2011.

The group will leave for Japan on 27 November. They include 13-students selected from Form 5-7 levels of Tonga High School, Tailulu College, Tupou College, Mailefihi College in Vava'u and Taufa'ahau/Pilolevu College. Nine students were selected from USP Tonga Campus and Vava'u, 'Atenisi Institute and Tupou Teritiary Institute.

HE Dr. Kazuchika Hamuro Japan's Ambassador to Tonga congratulated the recipients that will attend the Youth-Exchange Project with Asia-Oceania and North America.

He said the 'Kizuna project, organised and funded by the Government of Japan in cooperation with the University of the South Pacific, invites more than 9,700 high school and university students from the Asia-Oceania region to visit Japan. 

In the case of Tonga and other South Pacific countries, Japan aims to strengthen the people to people exchange and share the Japanese experience and information of Japan's road to recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011, he said.

"Kizuna means bond. This project aims at providing opportunities for mutual exchange between the youths of Japan and Tonga", he said.

Tonga is joined from the region with students from Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Fiji and Samoa. Their trip will include visits to museums, and universities with observation tours to Tokyo Rinkai Disaster area. Students will also attend lectures and discussions on disaster programs in Hachimantai and Kuji City, Iwate Prefecture.

Tonga

Dr 'Ana Koloto, the Director of USP Tonga Campus thanked the Japanese Ambassador, the government and people of Japan for the opportunity that Tongan students could visit Japan under the Kizuna Project. She said they were confident that the students would represent Tonga well. Students made presentations and performed dances for the Japanese Ambassador, at USP Tonga campus today.