A shockwave hit the Japanese public when two Japanese hostages were killed one after another by the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) two months ago. The incident frightened many in Japan and revealed a significant lack of understanding of the dynamics in the Middle East today. Although Japan has been heavily involved in the economy and especially energy-related issues in the Middle East and has invested in a lot of development and reconstruction programs in the Middle East and North Africa region, it has always avoided involvement in the political and security issues of the Middle East. Especially until recently there was not much interest in the conflict in Syria among the Japanese public other than a very attentive group of experts in area studies and some experienced figures in diplomacy with the region.In a recent visit of Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA) researchers to Tokyo and during their meetings with think tanks and academics, it was more obvious that there is an increasing degree of interest in the country about the Middle East and relations with Turkey. In previous periods, bilateral economic and social issues have been considered the backbone of relations, and it was seen in the debates that bilateral ties are increasingly discussed in the context of Middle Eastern politics. Japanese experts said Turkish politics, and its foreign policy toward the region, have been followed more closely in recent years. Both in meetings with think tanks, such as the Institute of Energy Economics of Japan and the roundtable discussions at the Japanese Institute of International Affairs, one of the most influential think tanks in Japan, the relation between Turkey and Japan and Turkey's position regarding the conflicts in Iraq and Syria were debated by participants. Ufuk Ulutaş, the director of foreign policy studies at SETA, said that interest in Turkey can be seen in the number of queries by Japanese experts and diplomats regarding the Middle East and Turkey's role in the region. He also pointed out previous projects on Turkish-Japanese relations organized by SETA in collaboration with the Sasakawa Peace Foundation. Ulutaş also said that the debates demonstrated an increasing degree of potential for cooperation between the two countries and the positive atmosphere between the two societies will definitely contribute to this partnership.During the debates, one of the most frequently discussed issues was ISIS and whether the two Japanese hostages could have been saved if there was closer cooperation between Turkey and Japan. It was said that following the tragic killings of the two Japanese citizens, this issue and attempts to understand ISIS have been discussed on different platforms. Especially Turkey's experience in saving its hostages from ISIS was the most frequently asked question by participants. In addition to this, there were debates about the future of Japan's role in the Middle East. After the meetings, Kılıç Buğra Kanat, research director of the SETA Foundation in Washington, said that the debates showed that there is a definite need for further interaction and more regular communication between Turkish and Japanese experts. Kanat also raised the issue of several misperceptions in the country about Turkey's role in Syria and how more regular and structured cooperation and communication between academics and think tanks can change this situation.