42 minutes of a presentation for the government (JICA - Japan International Cooperation Agency) to civil engineering trainees from various developing countries. They introduce themselves at first so listeners can learn the true pronunciation of country names like Iraq. Recorded with an MP3 format digital voice recorder. Another time it would be interesting to record the Q&A session because the time it is taking for democracy to take root in Japan was of acute interest to Iraqi, Egyptian, East Timorese and African participants. The history of the Imperial family, which differs from official accounts, was also presented. The Djiboutian's question about the origins of the Japanese is taken up at the beginning. To read the presentation outline or PowerPoint slides while listening, click here.
The photo on the right side above is the author's half-Japanese son with his cousin.
