Tokyo, September 15, 2012 -- The Selection Committee Meeting of the 1st Asia Cosmopolitan Awards was held on September 15, 2012 in Tokyo, Japan.

The purpose of the meeting is to discuss potentials and make revalidation of the candidates recommended by the Recommendation Committee on the basis of the Awards concept and select final candidates of the 1st Asia Cosmopolitan Awards by the Selection Committee members.

The Selection Committee members are Dr. Lee O Young, First Minister of Culture of South Korea, Prince Samdech Norodom Sirivudh, Founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace (CICP), Mr. Seigow Matsuoka, Founder of Editorial Engineering Laboratory, Mr. Shogo Arai, Governor of Nara Prefecture, Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, Secretary General of ASEAN, Dr. Takashi Shiraishi, President of Institute of Developing Economies (IDE), Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), Mr. Tohta Kaneko, Honorary Chairman, Gendai Haiku Association and Prof. Hidetoshi Nishimura, Executive Director of ERIA.

The international awards called as "Asia Cosmopolitan Awards" was established by ERIA and Nara Prefecture of Japan in February 2012. The awards was established by commemoration of the 1300-year anniversary in 2010 of Heijo-kyo (ancient capital of Japan located in preset-day Nara) as the last destination of the ancient Silk Road and one of the first cosmopolitan cities in East Asia. The awards is categorized in three prizes: Grand Prize, Economic and Social Science Prize, and Cultural Prize. They will be awarded to individuals or organizations who have made substantial and significant contribution to the development and enrichment of East Asian Community by means of cultural and economic integration, the narrowing of developmental gaps, and establish sustainable growth of society in the region. The meeting discussed on candidates' achievements in and contributions to the East Asia region and selected the final candidates. The Awards will be presented to the Awardees in the Forum and Ceremony of the 1st Asia Cosmopolitan Awards in December 2012 in Nara, Japan.

You can reach press releases related to Asia Cosmopolitan Awards from the following link:

ERIA Organizes Asia Cosmopolitan Awards Forum.pdf

The Asia Cosmopolitan Awards Forum was Held to Commemorate the Establishment of the Awards.pdf