UNC delegation completes unprecedented visit with American, Japanese leaders
January 16, 2024UNC Global Affairs
UNC Vice Provost for Global Affairs Barbara Stephenson and Nagoya University President Naoshi Sugiyama in Japan with the UNC seal.
Carolina, Japan strengthen relationships, prepare to tackle challenges
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Japan have fostered a meaningful relationship for more than a century.
In 1893, Shinzaburo Mogi of Tokyo arrived at Carolina as UNC’s first international student.
In 1951, after the atomic bomb damaged the library at Hiroshima University six years prior, UNC sent books to replenish its inventory.
In 1952, the first cohort of Japanese Fulbright scholars reached the U.S., and some of those students attended UNC.
In 2011, Hiroshima University presented UNC with four roof tiles that survived the atomic bomb as an expression of gratitude for their historic relationship.
In 2023, Vice Provost for Global Affairs Barbara Stephenson led a delegation from UNC to Japan for a long-planned, comprehensive visit with government officials, academic institutions and thought leaders. The purpose of the visit was to build upon existing momentum as a result of long-standing partnerships and identify new places and priorities to support Japan and Carolina.
“UNC has made a commitment to expand collaboration with Japan — a trusted U.S. ally and North Carolina’s top inward investor — and the OVPGA is prepared to lead in this effort,” Stephenson said. “Japan has prioritized innovative approaches to improving higher education and research, and so, working with Japan is a win-win for Carolina in multiple ways.”
Carolina faculty and students have forged relationships with Japanese counterparts for many years. This trip is both the product of those relationships and builds on them.
“Japan is tackling many of the same challenges as we are in North Carolina — increasing aging populations, pandemic preparedness, rural economic development, sustainability,” Associate Provost for Global Affairs Heather Ward said. “By working together, we all stand to benefit from the exchange of knowledge, discovery and practice.”
The delegation met with representatives from the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo; the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT); the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST); the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS); and the Japan–U.S. Educational Commission (Fulbright Japan). They, also, met with administrators, faculty and staff from Waseda University, Hokkaido University and Nagoya University — a long-time UNC partner.
During, the visit to the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, the UNC group met with Rahm Emanuel, U.S. ambassador to Japan, and officers from public affairs and cultural affairs. The Department of State officials approved funding for a second year of the cybersecurity exchange program between UNC and Nagoya.
Although UNC and Nagoya have been partners since the early 2000s, this was UNC’s first official visit to Nagoya. The delegation met with Nagoya’s president, senior leaders and representatives from the medical school. The visit provided an opportunity to revisit past engagement and discuss potential areas to deepen collaboration, including aging-related research, pandemic preparedness, biomedical engineering and the cybersecurity program which will continue in the 2024-2025 academic year.
UNC schools, including the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Nursing, School of Medicine and Eshelman School of Pharmacy, maintain 12 partnership agreements with Japanese institutions, which have led to joint research, student and faculty exchanges, postdoctoral training and Collaborative Online International Learning.
During meetings with representatives from JST and JSPS, the delegation learned about the research priorities set by the Japanese government for the coming years. There are many opportunities for Japanese and American researchers to collaborate. JST prioritizes natural and social sciences and the humanities. JSPS supports research in artificial intelligence, biotechnology, energy, telecommunications and more. One of the Japanese government’s priorities is to attract more young Japanese citizens to careers in research and academia. They intend to do this, in part, through graduate and postdoctoral training opportunities at research-intensive universities like UNC.
“I am excited about the opportunities for Japan and Carolina to help each other develop a new generation of thinkers, researchers, innovators and leaders,” Stephenson said.
The UNC group included Stephenson; Ward; Associate Vice Chancellor for Research Don Hobart; Global Affairs Associate Caleb King; READDI CEO James Rosen; William R. Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering Koji Sode; and Associate Director for Exchange and Sponsored Programs Timothy Rose.
“There are many reasons for UNC to deepen its ties with Japan,” Hobart said. “From innovations in technology and manufacturing to promoting democracy and greater public health, Carolina has many closely aligned interests with Japanese agencies, industries and universities. Thankfully, U.S.–Japan collaboration around research is a priority for both our governments.”
There are already some concrete outcomes from the trip in progress. In January, Ward will return to Japan as a member of the international steering committee for the 2023-2028 Inter-University Exchange Project funded by MEXT, and several research faculty from Nagoya will visit Chapel Hill in February and March.
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