Waseda University hosted the East Asian University Institute Winter School on February 1-5. The EAUI school is a joint education program with Korea University (College of Political Science and Economics), Nanyang Technological University (School of Humanities and Social Sciences), Peking University (School of International Studies), Thammasat University (Faculty of Political Science), and Waseda (Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies). Subsidized by the “Re-inventing Japan Project” of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), the EAUI Program consists of  components such as the semester student exchange program, the Summer School, the Winter School and the joint certification program. The EAUI Program Summer School and Winter School are organized each year by the five participating universities and hosted by one. These five-day sessions present students with a rich and intensive opportunity for collaborative learning through joint lectures, a workshop, a field trip and group presentations. All instruction is conducted in English.

This winter the Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies hosted 46 students from the five partner universities, gathered to discuss “ASEAN Community Building and East Asia.” Students attended joint lectures taught by experts chosen by the five universities and visited destinations in Tokyo including the ASEAN-Japan Centre. On February 4, they  had an opportunity to hear presentations and interact with leading ASEAN and East Asian affairs experts. On the last day of the five-day session, students were divided into eight groups to prepare a group presentation on a given topic. Students and faculty engaged in lively debates on a variety of issues concerning the formation of the ASEAN Community and its significance for the entire East Asian region including China, Japan and Korea. The farewell party held after the group presentations concluded the Winter School 2016. An award was given for the best group presentation, and students, faculty and staff celebrated the success of this year’s session before bidding farewell.

Since its establishment in 2011, the EAUI Summer School and Winter School have provided a shared classroom for students and faculty of the partner universities not only to study and discuss major issues of the East Asian region but also to build long-lasting personal relationships transcending school affiliation and nationality. In order to continue promoting human networking and greater cooperation and integration within the East Asian region, the five partner universities have agreed to continue holding the Summer School beyond the end of  MEXT funding in March 2016.