This gratitude was echoed by Mr Hirofumi Hirano, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and the Senior Vice-Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Mr Ken Okuda, during meetings with the Director-General in Tokyo on 16 February 2012.

UNESCO: Japan Voices Gratitude and Support to

Maehara was most impressive as Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, a post he assumed as held for one year, before being appointed Foreign Minister, in the first cabinet of the newly-elected Hatoyama government in September 2009.

FORBES: If It's Tuesday, It Must Be A New Japanese Prime

Panelists included Mr Shigeru Kikukawa, Vice Minister of Land, infrastructure, transport and tourism of Japan, Mr Thomas P Bostick, Chief of US Army Corps of Engineers, Mr Bai-mass Taal, Executive Secretary of AMCOW, Mr Rae-kwon Chung, from UNESCAP, and Dr Florika Fink-Hooijer, from the European Commission, as well as a representative of the Ministry of Water Resources of the People's Republic of China.

UNESCO: MEDIA SERVICES