The objectives of the Association are to encourage cooperation among Japanese professional orchestras, to conduct researches and studies on orchestra management, to provide training for those who are associated with orchestral music, and to promote and popularize the orchestral music through international exchange in order to contribute to the development of Japanese musical culture. We now have 38 professional orchestras that give more than 4,000 performances annually. In November 1997, the Association hosted “Orchestra Summit in Japan”, the first-ever international conference for orchestra administrators in Asia. It further arranged seminars on arts management and a series of workshops searching for new music education possibilities. The Association was assigned by the Agency for Cultural Affairs to produce “Asia Orchestra Week”, inviting orchestras from the Asia-Pacific region. It articulates the importance of classical music in modern society and actively continues to work for its development and expansion.