The Asian Productivity Organization, composed of the Republic of China, Ceylon, Hongkong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Republic of Korea, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Republic of Vietnam, was organized in 1960 to hasten economic development in these respective areas. Aiming to increase productivity and to accelerate economic development in the Asian region, the APO seeks to achieve its set objectives through various activities and programmes, the dissemination of knowledge, and an exchange of ideas.With 〝Prosperity through Productivity〞as the motto and 〝Quality-Reliability〞 as the theme, the Asian Productivity Year was observed in 1970 by all member countries of the APO in a concerted effort to increase productivity in the region and to improve the living standards of Asian people.　　To celebrate this occasion, a set of stamps was released on August 18, 1970-the opening day of the APO Assembly held in Tokyo. The motif of the design shows a series of circles ranging from smaller sizes to larger ones, each partly inter-cepting one another, with an arrow half-circling the outside circle, symbolizing the ever-increasing industrial and agricultural productivity.