The UNU Global Seminar is an annual programme designed to enhance awareness about global issues among students and young professionals in Japan by providing them an opportunity for active interaction with international scholars and experts. Undergraduate students (junior year and above) and postgraduate students in Japanese universities as well as recent graduates are eligible to apply. Applicants must understand both English and Japanese languages. Approximately 50 students will be selected from the applicants to participate in the four-day seminar.

The participation fee of 35,000 yen, which includes seminar materials, meals, and three nights' accommodation, may be waived for non-Japanese students who are not receiving any scholarship. Applications must be submitted to the UNU Global Seminar Secretariat no later than 15 July 2001. Application forms are available from the Secretariat (telephone: 078-291-8415; fax: 078-291-0691).

The UNU Global Seminar Kobe Session will open with keynote lectures by Prof. Andreas van Agt, former Prime Minister of the Netherlands, and His Excellency Mr. Choi Sang-yong, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea. Other scheduled lecturers include Prof. Ryosei Kokubun (Keio University), Prof. Masayuki Tadokoro (National Defense Academy), Mr. Michihiko Kunihiro (former Ambassador to China and Indonesia), Ms. Mie Asaoka (Kiko Network), Prof. Yasuhide Yamanouchi (Center for Global Communications, International University of Japan), and Ms. Keiko Chino (Sankei Shimbun). Individual sessions will focus on "A New Order in East Asia?," "Regional Economic Cooperation," "Global Issues and Civil Society" and "Mass Media and the Information Revolution." A preliminary programme is attached.

The UNU Global Seminar - Kobe Session is jointly organized by the UNU and the Kobe International Center for Cooperation and Communication. Kobe University, Osaka University, and Kyoto University are collaborating to plan and organize the seminar.

The UNU Global Seminar Kobe Session has been held annually since 1995. Other UNU Global Seminars this year include the Shimane Session ("IT, the Family and Gender - Coping with Socio-Economic Change in the Information Age") in July, the Shonan Session ("Issues and Prospects of the Global Environment") in September and the Okinawa Session ("Cultures in Globalization: Towards World Peace") in December.