The "Local Networking Meeting with Ambassadors" was held in Tokyo with the cooperation of the Cabinet Office and Ministry of Foreign Affairs utilizing APU's network with Ambassadors to Japan (currently ambassadors to Japan from 77 countries are on the Advisory Committee). APU acted as a bridge between the various ambassadors to Japan, local government leaders and central government officials who gathered to participate in second-track diplomacy under the main themes of education, tourism, regional industry and international exchange. It was a chance to deepen exchange and to build and strengthen networks.
The first meeting welcomed African, the second Middle Eastern and the third meeting held on November 27 welcomed ambassadors from East Asian and ASEAN nations. On that day, representatives from various countries including ambassadors to Japan from nations such as Indonesia, Malaysia and China deepened their exchange with the many people who attended including local government leaders which included, at the prefectural and city level, the Mayor of Yufu City (Oita Prefecture), the Mayor of Minokamo City (Gifu Prefecture) and Hokuto City (Yamanashi Prefecture). Furthermore, the acting Ambassador to Japan from Myanmar who is an APU Graduate School graduate (JDS*) attended the third meeting which reaffirmed APU's expanding international network.
The fourth meeting (South Asia, Middle East and Oceania) is planned for January and the fifth meeting (South/North America and Europe) is planned for February.