I had a task like this once. I served as the intermediary between a Far East Russian university and the university where I was teaching at in Japan at the time. A Russian and a Japanese university became sister colleges with the introduction of an American. I was happy.

Japan has been tasked to link Spain with Algeria via the Mediterranean Sea.

More specifically, Nippon steel Corp. and Mitsui & Co. have received an order to deliver high-strength pipes for a deep-water natural gas pipeline.

The pipeline will stretch 226 kilometers and be placed at a maximum depth of 2,160 meters.

Altogether some 90,000 tons of large-diameter pipe will be required.

That is indeed a tall order for some very high quality material, the kind of order Japanese companies can meet.

Which country do you think has the highest reputation for producing the best quality materials?