On September 22, Okayama University Global Human Resource Development held a special seminar entitled “Learning at Japan External Trade Organization (hereinafter JETRO) Okayama: Team up with a Sports Team and Take the Challenge! Okayama Companies Go to Thailand: Overseas Expansion Project.” This seminar was planned and conducted with the full cooperation of JETRO Okayama under the comprehensive cooperation agreement between JETRO, the Okayama Prefectural Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and Okayama University. This year’s event, the second since last year, was organized with the full cooperation of JETRO Okayama and was attended by MIYAKE Nonoka (3rd year, Faculty of Law), WADA Suzuka (3rd year, Faculty of Law), OKA Hinata (2nd year, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences), SHIDA Natsune (1st year, School of Engineering), OKADA Riho (3rd year, Discovery Program for Global Learners), and PHAN THI LAN (1st year, School of Agriculture), an exchange student from Vietnam.

After a speech and words of encouragement by Mr. FUCHIDA Yusuke, Director of JETRO Okayama, the first half of the seminar was conducted by Ms. YAMAMOTO Meika, Section Manager of JETRO Okayama. In the seminar, the participants learned about JETRO's origins and operations based on its overseas network, as well as JETRO's role in promoting the products of local Okayama companies in Thailand, which was the theme of the seminar, using the “Okayama Seagulls Project” as an example.

The second half of the seminar was a group work session. In the group work, each student’s team, acting as an overseas project team of a local company in Okayama, gathered ideas on how to research and market their products in Thailand and engaged in simulated business negotiations with a team of JETRO staff members acting as local buyers. Despite the fact that most of the team members had never met before and that they had to come up with a plan in a short period of time, all the teams quickly understood the purpose of the project and worked together to gather local information and research the characteristics of the products. During the mock business meeting, the participants were nervous about exchanging business cards for the first time and making their presentations as salespeople, but they were all very excited to explain the attractiveness of their products and their sales plans in Thailand from their own unique perspectives with great effort and expression on their faces.

At the end of the seminar, the participants listened intently to the feedback from the lecturers as they reflected on the challenges they felt, such as the difficulty of selling Japanese products in foreign countries with different cultures, and the regret of not fully utilizing the brand power of Okayama Seagulls. After the course, the participants tasted the sweets and talked with smiles on their faces, saying, “I just had a great time,” and “It was a valuable experience to hear from someone who is actually involved in Asian expansion and trade for local small and medium-sized companies.”

In addition to special seminars, Global Human Resource Development invites lecturers from local companies introduced by JETRO Okayama and the Okayama Chamber of Commerce and Industry to hold classes at the university, and will continue to strengthen mutual cooperation to develop human resources that can contribute to local and international society.

○Tripartite Comprehensive Collaboration Agreement
On August 31, 2021, Okayama University signed a Tripartite Comprehensive Collaborative Agreement with JETRO and the Okayama Prefectural Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry. This agreement aims to contribute to the local community through industrial development by strengthening mutual cooperation and serving as a platform for global human resource development in Okayama Prefecture.