CULCON symposium and the third U.S.-Japan Higher Education Panel took place at Waseda University
Mon, Jun 24, 2013-
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On May 17, CULCON symposium and the third U.S.-Japan Higher Education Panel entitled “Enhancing U.S.-Japan Relations and Educational Exchange in a Globalized Society: Doubling the Number of U.S. and Japanese Students Studying in Each Other’s Country.” were held under the joint auspices of U.S.-Japan Conference on Cultural and Educational Interchange (CULCON)and Waseda University (Supported by: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and TechnologyMEXT, Ministry of Foreign Affairs MOFA, U.S. Japan Research Institute USJI, the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership CGP, and Japan Business Federation KEIDANREN) .
Some speeches and remarks were made at CULCON symposium: Mr. Minoru Makihara, the Chair of Japan CULCON and a Senior Corporate Advisor of Mitsubishi Corporation said that the relationship between U.S. and Japan was the most important bilateral relationship, and that to rectify the decrease of the number of international students from Japan studying in the U.S. and vice versa would be of utmost importance particularly in maintaining or strengthening the bilateral relationship. His Excellency, Mr. John V. Roos, the U.S. Ambassador to Japan said that Waseda University was successful in increasing the number of international students and foreign faculty, and extended an inspiring message “I have absolutely no doubt that not only can we achieve the ambitious goal of doubling the number of young American and Japanese studying in each other’s countries by the year 2020, but we can exceed that goal. And in doing so, we will build a foundation for a stronger Japan, a stronger America, and I have no doubt of better world for all.” Mr. Norman Mineta, the first Japanese American to be elected to U.S. Congress, stressed the need to increase the number of Japanese student studying in the U.S. as well as U.S. students studying in Japan. He also said, based on his own personal experience, “The language proficiency, communication / problem-solving skills that our young people gain when they were introduced to other cultures are invaluable and prepare them well for the globalized marketplace.”
In the third U.S.-Japan Higher Education Panel following CULCON symposium, each group of students of seven universities selected under MEXT’s “Re-Inventing Japan Project B-1” presented their efforts toward the reinforcement of U.S.-Japan student exchange. On behalf of Waseda University, Shuhei Nishiyama from School of Law, Yujiro Masaki from School of International Liberal Studies, and Sasuke Shimomura from School of Political Science and Economics introduced the Global Leadership Program (GLP) of Waseda University. They compared GLP to schooner (a type of sailing vessel) , saying that having a shared vision and a strong bond would help participants or “crews” play a central role in the world, and that the “schooner” could overcome any big wave that might come along.
Following the presentation by the students, panel discussion titled “Toward deepening and developing higher education exchange between Japan and the U.S.” was held to exchange opinions among participants from the different backgrounds about the topics such as meaning of studying abroad, job hunting, human resources that businesses are seeking. The following were among the distinguished panelists and participants of the day: Dr. Sheila Smith, Vice chair of CULCON and Senior Fellow for Japan Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, Ms. Tomoko Hasegawa, Deputy Director, Public Relations Bureau of KEIDANREN, Dr. Peter K. Moran, Director of the Office of International Programs and Exchanges of University of Washington, Dr. Masako Egawa, Executive Vice President of the University of Tokyo, Ms. Cari Peterson, Senior of School of International Liberal Studies, Waseda University. The panel ended successfully with lots of questions from the audience and answers from the panelists.
In the closing remarks, our Vice President Katsuichi Uchida concluded the symposium by expressing the necessity of U.S.-Japan partnership in higher education field as “What we need is to take action and to implement what we have discussed today. And improved collaboration between the U.S. and Japan is indeed our vital piece in our effort to grapple with global issues together.”
Mr. John V. Roos, the U.S. Ambassador to Japan.
Mr. Norman Mineta
CULCON symposium
Waseda students explaining GLP
