On November 30, Executive Vice President NAKAMURA Tamotsu (director of the Institute for Promoting International Partnerships) visited KU Leuven, Belgium. This visit was accompanied by IWAMOTO Kazuko (director of the Kobe University Brussels European Center and professor at the Graduate School of Intercultural Studies).

Established in 1425, KU Leuven is the oldest university in Belgium and will soon celebrate its 600th anniversary. There has been continuous student exchange between Kobe University and KU Leuven since the signing of an academic exchange agreement in 2010.

The delegation from Kobe University paid a courtesy visit to Vice-Rector Reine MEYLAERTS in which they agreed to renew the cooperation due to expire next year, and discussed how to expand research and educational exchange between Kobe University and KU Leuven.

Following the courtesy visit, the delegation visited the Faculty of Arts, which actively engages in a student exchange with Kobe University’s faculties, including the Graduate School of Economics and the Graduate School of Intercultural Studies. The meeting was attended by 14 members, including Professor Liesbet HEYVAERT (the dean of the Faculty of Arts), Professor Kris Van HEUCKELOM (the vice-dean for International Affairs of the Faculty of Arts), faculty members from the Japanese Studies Department and students who are enrolled in or graduated from the double-degree program between Kobe University and KU Leuven. During the meeting, Heyvaert mentioned the active student exchange between the two universities and Nakamura expressed his wish to strengthen cooperation in various fields in the future.

Lastly, the delegation visited KU Leuven’s library where they were briefed on the collection of Japanese books and the historical ties between KU Leuven and Japan.

It is hoped that this visit will result in further exchange between the two universities in the future.

(Global Engagement Division)