The Japan Foundation(国際交流基金Kokusai Kōryū Kikin) was established in 1972 by an Act of the Japanese Diet as a special legal entity to undertake international dissemination of Japanese culture, and became an independent administrative institution under the jurisdiction of the Foreign Ministry of Japan on October 1, 2003 under the "Independent Administrative Institution Japan Foundation Law".. The Japan Foundation aims towards comprehensive and effective development of its international cultural exchange programs in four categories: