Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) — Japanese archaeological excavation teams are preparing to return to Iraq to conduct scientific digs and provide hands-on field training for local researchers, according to statements made on Sunday, August 23, 2026, by Dr. Laith Majeed Hussein, Director of the Japanese–Iraqi Institute for Archaeological Education.

Speaking to the Iraqi News Agency (INA), Hussein outlined that bilateral cooperation is expanding beyond field excavation to encompass academic faculty recruitment from Japan and Egypt to support the Department of Japanese Language and Literature at the University of Baghdad’s College of Arts.

Key Academic Initiatives & Archaeological Milestones

• Resumption of Japanese Excavation Missions: Japanese archaeological teams—holding a multi-decade legacy of Mesopotamian field research—are coordinating their return following improvements in domestic security conditions to resume field surveying, artifact conservation, and joint research.
• Hands-on Field Training: Upcoming excavation seasons will integrate joint fieldwork, pairing Japanese specialists and university students with Iraqi researchers and trainees to teach modern stratigraphic excavation and surveying methods.
• Expansion of Japanese Language Studies: To build language proficiency and strengthen cultural exchange, the University of Baghdad’s College of Arts is recruiting native instructors and specialized faculty from Japan and Egypt to teach within its Japanese Language Department.
• Institutional Heritage Ties: Dr. Hussein highlighted the historical roots of bilateral academic engagement, citing the establishment of the Center for the Revival of Arab Scientific Heritage in Baghdad in 1977, founded in close partnership with Japanese academic institutions.
• International Assyriology Conference: Hussein noted that Baghdad had finalized preparations to host the 2026 Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale (International Congress of Assyriology); however, regional security tensions prompted a postponement, with organizers preparing to reapply for international convening approvals for a future date.

The revival of Japanese archaeological missions reflects the broader international reintegration of Iraq’s academic and heritage institutions.

By combining field excavations with university-level language instruction and peer-reviewed publishing partnerships, the Japanese–Iraqi Institute for Archaeological Education aims to equip a new generation of Iraqi scholars with advanced excavation methodologies and promote the preservation of Mesopotamian cultural heritage.