The Ambassador of Japan to Bosnia and Herzegovina Futao Motai attended in Sarajevo the fifth joint seminar on “Eco-tourism – Expansion of the Pliva and Velež models”. The seminar was organized by the Japanese Agency for International Cooperation (JICA), i.e. by its Project Team for sustainable development through eco-tourism in BiH. This team started its activities in BiH in February 2007, directing its efforts towards the development of eco-tourism in the region of Pliva (Jajce, Jezero and Šipovo) and the region of Velež (Blagaj, Podvelež and Nevesinje), informed the Embassy of Japan in BiH. The Japanese government has been investing into the development of eco-tourism in BiH since 2003, when JICA started the Developmental study on sustainable development through eco-tourism. In October 2005, the Japanese government organized, in cooperation with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Second Regional Conference on the Development of Tourism in the Western Balkans, held in Sarajevo. Since 2007, the JICA project team has provided support to the local population for the development and strengthening of organizational structures, development of tourism offers, formulation and implementation of marketing strategies, creation and distribution of promotional material and harmonization of the preservation and use of cultural and historic heritage. Japan has until now invested around 840,000 EUR into the project, which includes also capacity building costs. (Source: www.e-turizam.com)