On March 24(Thur.), NEAR Secretary-General JUN and the Secretariat staff visited Sichuan Province, China and suggested to join NEAR after a brief introduction of the association. Secretary-General JUN said in the meeting, “Joining NEAR will be a good opportunity to co-prosper through regional exchanges and cooperation among the municipalities of Japan, Korea, Mongolia, and Russia.” Zhang Tao, Deputy Director-General of Sichuan Provincial Department of Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs responded that Sichuan Province will positively consider joining NEAR as an official member after participating first as an observer member. It is willing to attend the NEAR General Assembly Meeting in September.