President Hirofumi Makino and Executive Vice President for International Affairs Hiroshi Kanzaki participated in the Presidents Forum combined with the 75th anniversary ceremony of Kasetsart University, our partner university in the Kingdom of Thailand, which was held at the university on February 1, 2018. The forum was attended by approximately 700 representatives from across the world, who had a lively exchange of views under the theme of “Higher Education in Times of Change.”

In addition to the visit to Kasetsart University, President Makino and Executive Vice President Kanzaki paid a courtesy call to President Bundhit Eua-arporn of Chulalongkorn University, another partner university. They also visited Dr. Choltis Dhirathiti, Executive Director of the ASEAN University Network (AUN), which has cooperated with the Consortium of Six National Universities in Japan. They introduced the efforts of Okayama University and confirmed the specific direction of future student exchange and academic exchange. They also visited the Bangkok Office of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), which is working to promote academic exchange between Japan and the entire ASEAN region.

During their stay in Thailand, they held a meeting with members of the Thailand Branch of the Okayama University International Alumni to discuss future alumni activities and the possibility of further cooperation between the branch and the university. The members of the branch expressed their strong support for the university. There were also discussions about specific activities, including the provision of opportunities for internships in Thailand.

Positioning the fast-growing Southeast Asian region as a priority area for international exchange, we will work to strengthen cooperation with partner universities and other organizations in this area in order to facilitate active exchange with them.