Kawazo in his speech called upon the NEHU fraternity to strengthen the existing Indo-Japan relationship
SHILLONG, May 31 (NNN): Deputy chief of Mission and minister in the Japanese embassy in India, Kunihiko Kawazo expressed their deep satisfaction and appreciated the North Eastern Hills University (NEHU) fraternity for holding an extremely productive bilateral discussion on wide-ranging issues like academic and cultural collaboration in near future.
A meeting was held between the visiting Japanese delegation and the NEHU community of teachers and students under the aegis of the newly established Office of International Affairs (OIA) of NEHU and ICSSR-NERC.
The visiting Japanese dignitaries were presented with NEHU’s achievements for the last half a decade and the visiting team appreciated NEHU’s strategic location and its contribution to the larger field of knowledge.
Kunihiko Kawazo in his speech called upon the NEHU fraternity to strengthen the existing Indo-Japan relationship.
He referred to multilateral agreements that have been currently arrived at in the discussion between India’s PM Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio. He referred to India’s close partnership with Japan in areas like Science and Technology, Trade, and also the area of people-to-people relations. Appreciating the natural surroundings of NEHU and its infrastructure, he compared NEHU to the urban landscape of the University of Tokyo of which he is a noted alumnus.
He pointed out at length the possibility of NEHU’s collaborative work with the Japan Foundation which is tasked with the dissemination of the Japanese language and culture. He exhorted NEHU for its enthusiasm to teach the Japanese language and culture and exuded a lot of confidence in vibrant, dynamic and impactful members of the NEHU fraternity in achieving higher goals of learning and research in the areas of the Japanese language, literature and culture.
Recollecting Japan’s connections with the northeast of India, the visiting Charge de affairs opened up the doors for further discussion and collaboration through his esteemed office.
Political counsellor Kentaro Orita then explained his natural affinity to NEHU by exclaiming amidst loud applause his desire to become a student here at NEHU.
The counsellor further stated the professed objective of Japan’s deep-seated interest in the geostrategic importance of India’s north-east and related it to NEHU’s unique socio-cultural and educational eco-system.
NEHU’s role in uplifting the region toward a pan-Asiatic and global spread of advanced levels of intellectual contributions is underscored by the counsellor. He emphasised upon people-to-people relations between Japan and north-east India that has acquired a new dimension in terms of act east policy.
Going by Japan’s role in the act east policy, he projected the possibility of closer ties between academic institutions, universities, and industry collaboration through Japan and in the overall the possibility of a larger investment by Japan for the benefit of the people of north-east India.
In his presidential address, vice-chancellor, Prof. Prabha Shankar Shukla solicited greater participation and cooperation from Japan and its Universities in developing concrete research collaborations in areas of mutual interest.
Imploring Japan’s role in QUAD and especially announcing QUAD fellowships for Indian students, the vice-chancellor elicited a lot of hope and exuberance toward more students from NEHU getting the benefit of such a fellowship.
Prof. Shukla pointed out NEHU’s consistent advancement of research; teaching and social outreach that can catch up to global standards and readily partner with relevant Japanese Universities and other institutes.
Prof. Shukla advocated that Japan and India’s drive towards building up a knowledge society and a knowledge economy calls for deeper understanding between NEHU and Japanese Universities so that the cultural and civilisational foundations of Indo Japan relationship could be augmented by joint work towards new synergies in terms of knowledge and its application.
Earlier, Prof. A. S. Dixit presented a brief summary of NEHU’s multidisciplinary and high impact research publications and collaborations with Japanese counterparts which was duly appreciated by the visiting Japanese dignitaries.
Speaking on behalf of the Indian Council of Social Sciences Research, Prof. Bhagirath Panda invited Japanese scholars to use ICSSR’s facilities of residence, library and other research support system that is available within NEHU’s ecosystem.
Both Prof. Dixit and Prof. Panda emphasised non-convergent multidisciplinary research between social, natural and human sciences.
