On 6 June 2007, The Permanent Mission of Japan sponsored the opening reception of the 2007 Student Haiku Contest Exhibition, held in the United Nations Secretariat Lobby. The reception opened with a viewing of the 70 finalist poems, followed by an Award Assembly.

More than 550 poems in Japanese and English were submitted by elementary and secondary school students to the contest, organized by the Northeast Council of Teachers of Japanese and the English and Japanese Departments of the United Nations International School. The winners of 5 divisions were able to read their poems to the audience, as well as receive awards.

Remarks were given by Ambassador Jiro Kodera, praising the students for taking interest in the traditional Japanese form of poetry, as well as expressing hope that the poems would inspire those in the United Nations to find ways to better express themselves.

The exhibition of poems runs through 15 June 2007.