On 6 November, His Excellency Mr Kassa Gebrehiwet, Ethiopian ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Japan, and Mr Yoshiaki Kobayashi, honorary consul of Ethiopia in Osaka, visited Kyoto University to meet with President Juichi Yamagiwa and two professors at the Center for African Area Studies (CAAS): Motoki Takahashi and Masayoshi Shigeta. The latter also serves as assistant to the executive vice-president for international affairs.
Ambassador Kassa assumed his post this past July, and wished to visit Kyoto University in appreciation of its close ties with his country. During his 6 November visit, he expressed his gratitude to the University for opening its Africa office at the Institute of Ethiopian Studies of Addis Ababa University (AAU), and for assisting with the launch of Japanese language courses at AAU. President Yamagiwa responded by extending his congratulations to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiyyii Ahimad on his receiving the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, and expressing hope that the KyotoU Africa Office would serve as a foothold for excellent students in his country to come to study at Kyoto.