Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre organises conference to mark a century of Arabic language education in Japan

The Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC) will co-organise a conference celebrating the 100th anniversary of Arabic public education in Japan on 21-22 September 2025. Under the patronage of UNESCO and in partnership with The National Museum of Ethnology (Minpaku), the conference, Exploring Intercultural Dialogue of Japan and the Arab World through the Arabic Language, will mark the centenary of Arabic-language teaching and celebrate the significance of verbal communication in fostering Arab-Japanese relations.

The two-day conference is part of UNESCO's Intercultural Dialogue Programme which seeks to foster transformative communication across cultures and identities. The collaboration between the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre and Minpaku builds on the existing partnership between the two institutions that has already produced significant cultural exchanges, including Arabian Nights: A Cultural Journey Across Continents, a conference held at Tokyo’s Keio University in September 2024 and organised by ALC in collaboration with Professor Tetsuo Nishio, Professor Emeritus at Minpaku. These initiatives reflect the growing strength of Arab-Japanese cultural dialogue and open fruitful avenues for future cooperation in the region.

On 21 September, the opening day of the conference will feature a public programme of talks and events that foreground the art and culture inspired by the Arabic language that reflect the enduring power to connect and inspire. Speakers and performers include master calligrapher Fuad Honda and celebrated oud player Yuji Tsunemi, as well as students majoring in Arabic at the University of Osaka School of Foreign Studies.

On 22 September, an academic symposium will examine the history and current state of Arabic language education in Japan. In today’s world, where globalisation and digitalisation are rapidly transforming the language environment for understanding different cultures through verbal communication, the symposium hopes to reconsider the meaning of learning languages to build bridges with people from different cultures, and to increase the number of educational institutions in Japan where Arabic is taught. Speakers include: Yosr Souai, Consultant for the Social and Human Sciences Sector and the Intercultural Dialogue Program at UNESCO, Dr Akiko Sumi, Professor at Kyoto Notre Dame University, Dr Yoshiaki Fukuda, Associate Professor at University of Osaka, Dr Abdalla Almoamen, Professor at Tokai University, and Masayuki Miyamoto, Former Ambassador of Japan to the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The first day of the conference will open with remarks by Yuji Seki, Director-General of the National Museum of Ethnology and His Excellency Dr Ali bin Tamim, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre.

His Excellency Dr Ali bin Tamim, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, said: “The ALC is honoured to collaborate with UNESCO and Japan’s National Museum of Ethnology in celebrating 100 years of Arabic language education in Japan and the extraordinary progress in Arab-Japanese cultural ties. This milestone underscores the transformative power of cross-cultural exchange. 

“Our initiatives to amplify Arabic language global resonance are designed to fuel this meaningful intercultural dialogue. Guided by the UAE and Abu Dhabi’s visionary leadership, we remain committed to cultivating mutual understanding between civilisations, elevating tolerance as a universal value, and advancing the shared humanitarian ideals that unite Emirati and Japanese cultures.”

As one of the six official languages of the United Nations, Arabic plays a vital role in fostering cross-cultural understanding and global dialogue, making its inclusion in academic discourse more important than ever. This symposium will highlight how Arabic continues to be a bridge between peoples and regions, connecting communities through shared understanding. 

Dr Tetsuo Nishio, Professor Emeritus at the National Museum of Ethnology, said: “I have been learning Arabic for almost 50 years now. Exactly 100 years ago, for the first time in Japan, a university programme was established to teach Arabic. I have been teaching Arabic at Kyoto University for almost 30 years. The world has changed over the past 100 years, of course, but the recent changes in the world, especially since the Covid-19 disaster, have been beyond our expectations. Globalisation and digitalisation are changing the world at an accelerating pace, the earth is becoming smaller, and we are becoming more connected to each other as individuals. We are at a major transformation point in the long history of humanity. I would like to take this opportunity to review the role of the Arabic language and reconsider the interaction between Japan and the Arab world. I also hope that this special day will further promote cultural exchanges between the UAE and Japan, and in particular, develop new research cooperation through the partnership between Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre and National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka.” 

To register, please visit Minpaku’s website here.