On May 2nd Mr. Hiroki Yamasaki, director of the Japan Foundation, Seoul visited NEAR Secretariat office. As director Mr. Yamashaki came to Pohang to attend the closing ceremony of The Japanese Dolls Exhibition, held at the Pohang Culture & Art Center taking the opportunity to also visit NEAR Secretariat office where he met the Secretary-General Jun Jae-won. At the meeting, Mr. Yamasaki shared opinions with regards to promoting exchange and cooperation between the two organizations in order to improve upon the common issues in the region such as environmental problems or disaster prevention.