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Conference Title: The 1st JICA International Student Networking Seminar in 2023
Date: Wednesday, December 20, 2023 – Friday, December 22, 2023
Organized by JICA
Place: Ota-ku Industrial Plaza PiO
Main Participants
JICA students coming to Japan in FY2023
Akihiko Tanaka, JICA President
Kazuya Endo, Director-General, International Cooperation Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Takashi Onishi, Director, Akita International University / Chairman, National Land Planning Association
Naoki Umemiya, Professor, Center for Global Education, Sophia University
Mariko Watanabe, JICA Tokyo Counselor/Clinical Psychologist
Background and Objectives
A three-day networking seminar was held for JICA international students who will enter graduate school in Japan in the fall of 2023, with the objectives of setting goals for their expected roles as JICA international students, from the period of study abroad to after they return to their home countries, and building networks with other JICA international students and with JICA.
634 JICA students from 89 countries and 77 universities gathered together to form a network that transcended national, regional, and university boundaries.
Contents
In his address, President Tanaka emphasized the significance and importance of studying in Japan in the current complex global crisis, while Mr. Endo, Director-General of the International Cooperation Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expressed his hope that JICA students will make the most of their opportunities to study in Japan and become specialists in Japan and valuable assets to their own countries and to bilateral relations with Japan. He also expressed his hope that JICA students will make the most of their opportunities to study abroad to become specialists in Japan and valuable assets to their countries and to bilateral relations with Japan.
In his lecture “Expectation toward Students who Study in Japan,” Prof. Takashi Onishi, Director of Akita International University and Chairman of the National Land Planning Association, explained the characteristics of Japanese universities and laboratories and advised students to make their study in Japan meaningful by studying Japanese culture, society, and history in addition to their own field of study, In addition to studying Japanese culture, society, and history, he advised students to make friends with many Japanese people and to stimulate them to open their eyes to what is happening in the world.
Professor Naoki Umemiya of Sophia University’s Center for Global Education gave a lecture on “Personal Goals to be Achieved as a JICA Student During the Period of Study in Japan.” He explained that the JICA Graduate School of Development Cooperation Initiative is expected to strengthen relations between home countries and Japan and to build networks with Japanese universities and companies, Therefore, it is necessary to set short-, mid-, and long-term goals at the beginning of your stay in Japan, and to spend your study period in Japan with these goals in mind.
In “Promoting Understanding of Japanese Society and Culture as a Different Culture” by JICA Tokyo Counselor Mariko Watanabe, participants were advised to consult with others as soon as possible in case of culture shock or mental illness after approximately three months in Japan.
Based on their studies in Japan, JICA exchange students are expected to become top leaders in their home countries who are both knowledgeable and pro-Japanese, thereby maintaining and strengthening the relationship between the two countries over the medium to long term. We believe that the network of JICA students that has been formed across national and regional borders will contribute to solutions to the various challenges that the world will face in the future.
JICA plans to hold this seminar on a regular basis in order to strengthen the network of foreign students.
Greetings from Mr. Endo, Director-General, International Cooperation Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Greetings from President Tanaka
Critique by Chancellor Tanaka on the presentations by the two representative foreign students
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