IIT Hyderabad as a hub for Japan-India people-to-people exchanges
Hyderabad, 22 October 2024: As part of Japan Month 2024, which was declared by the Japanese Embassy in India, IIT Hyderabad JAPAN ACADEMIC DAY 2024, which was organized in cooperation with JICA and took place on October 21–22, was successfully ended. There were 72 participants in all, representing 15 Japanese universities and 6 Japanese organizations, including the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), JICA, and the Japanese Embassy. Chief Guest Dr. Hashimoto Kazuhito, President of JST, Guest of Honor Mr. Ariyoshi Takashi, Japan’s Chargé d’Affaires ad interim, and Mr. TAKEUCHI Takuro, Chief Representative of the JICA India Office, were present to honor the occasion. On the IITH campus, twenty booths were erected to provide students with information on Japanese universities, higher education, research opportunities, and scholarships. Learners, Additionally, faculty members and others discussed prospects including combined supervision, internships, industrial collaboration, and joint proposal drafting with Japanese professors and university representatives.
Prof. BS Murty, Director of IITH “IITH has a strong bilateral relationship with Japan since 2008,” he said during the event. I firmly think that partnerships provide synergy for both parties’ development. We can do wonders together. I express my gratitude to the Japanese Embassy as well as Japanese universities and organizations for stepping up to improve cooperation and fortify IITH’s relationship with Japan via research and education.
Mr. Ariyoshi Takashi, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of Japan, “This wonderful event will be the start of a new joint research between IITH and Japan, as well as an opportunity for IITH students to study in Japan,” he said, thanking IITH for the chance to host Japan Academic Day. Although learning Japanese is undoubtedly a hurdle to studying in Japan, more and more Japanese colleges are offering degrees that are exclusively in English. Furthermore, there is a lot of room for cooperation with IITH because Japanese research institutes have cutting-edge technology.Mr. Ariyoshi cited recent scientific accomplishments like Japan’s SLIM project and India’s Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission, emphasizing the vital necessity for international cooperation in tackling global issues like infectious illnesses and climate change. He emphasized the value of exchanging human resources to improve scientific and technological cooperation between Japan and India. Mr. Ariyoshi used this opportunity to propose two people-to-people exchange programs that the Japanese Embassy is currently working on. The first is the “MEXT Scholarship,” which is awarded to students who are supported by the government.
Scholarships are offered by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) to students who want to enroll in Japanese universities to pursue master’s or doctoral degrees. Second, applications for the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program are being accepted by the Embassy. It encourages young people from other countries to participate in international exchange projects and foreign language instruction at Japanese educational institutions and municipal governments.
Mr. TAKEUCHI Takuro, Chief Representative of JICA India, stated, “I believe that one of JICA’s most important missions is to deepen the multi-layered human exchange between India and Japan. India offers many attractions for Japan, including a huge market with a large number of young and talented individuals, excellent digital infrastructure and technology, and one of the world’s leading start-up ecosystems. Conversely, Japan possesses many qualities that are essential for India’s development, such as excellent research facilities, advanced technology, valuable knowledge, and a hardworking and meticulous work ethic etc. JICA aims to be a catalyst for Japan and India to leverage their strengths, complement each other’s weaknesses, and build many mutually beneficial relationships together.”
Participating Institutes from Japan included Gifu University, Hiroshima University, Hokkaido University, Kanazawa University, Kumamoto University, Kyoto University, Nagoya University, Nara Women’s University, National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Ochanomizu University, Shibaura Institute of Technology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo City University, University of Tsukuba, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Japan Society for the promotion of Science (JSPS), Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO), Embassy of Japan in India, JICA, Mobility and Behaviour Innovation Forum, Tech Japan.
The success of event highlights the shared commitment of IITH, JICA and Japan to enhance collaboration and strengthen ties between India and Japan, with IIT Hyderabad serving as the platform for India-Japan collaboration.
