The government of Japan has donated 127 books to the Maldives National University (MNU). The books were donated by the Ambassador of Japan to the Maldives Takeuchi Midori at a ceremony held at the library in MNU. The books were handed over to the Chancellor of MNU Hassan Hameed.
The books were donated to the Maldives as part of the Read Japan Initiative by the Nippon Foundation. The aim of the project is to provide information about modern-day Japan to readers and familiarise readers with books published under the Read Japan Initiative around the world. The books will contain a variety of information about Japan including, politics, foreign relations, economy, trade, art, and history. The Nippon Foundation has previously donated to the library at MNU in 2010, Hiriya School in 2017, and the Civil Service Training Institute in 2018 under the project.
Japan has been providing assistance to the Maldives in various socio-economic instances since the establishment of bilateral relations between both countries.