On October 29, the 47th Annual Joint Meeting of the Japan-U.S. Southeast & Southeast U.S./Japan Associations was held in Tokyo. Professor TANAKA Junko, director of the Americas Division at the Institute for Promoting International Partnerships, and Professor INOUE Hirotaka, a member of the same division, participated in the newly established Higher Education Session of the conference.

This meeting brought together approximately 440 participants from both Japan and the southeastern United States, including representatives from industry, government and academia. Delegations from the seven southeastern U.S. states, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, were in attendance alongside their Japanese counterparts.

While the meeting has focused on the industry and government sectors, the Higher Education Session was introduced this year to incorporate an academic perspective. During the session, the Kobe University delegation sought potential opportunities with Japanese and U.S. companies to support internships for Kobe University students. They also reaffirmed mutual cooperation in future international exchange initiatives with the University of Tennessee, which also participated in the meeting.

The meeting is expected to help foster deeper and more diverse cooperation between Kobe University and the southeastern U.S. 

(Global Engagement Division)