On 17 November 2017, the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-Japan Scholarship Program (JSP) Symposium took place at Kyoto University’s International Science Innovation Building with approximately 100 students, faculty, and staff attending. The event was the first ADB-JSP Symposium to be held in the Kansai region, and was co-organized by the University and ADB. This year's theme was "International Cooperation towards Next Generation".
The symposium opened with an address from Mr Masashi Tanabe, alternate executive director for Japan and board member at ADB, who explained the event’s objectives and provided an overview of ADB-JSP.
Keynote speeches were then delivered by Dr Mamoru Kanzaki -- Professor of the Kyoto University Graduate School of Agriculture (GSA) -- and Dr Gil-Hong Kim -- senior director and chief sector officer of the Advisory Service Cluster of ADB's Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department -- on research and education for sustainable development, and on the Bank's innovative use of advanced technology in development operations, respectively.
Following a photo session and coffee break, two ADB-JSP master's students from Kyoto University -- Mr Verma Abhishek, first year at the Graduate School of Management (GSM-KU), and Ms Susilo Kartika Restu, second year at GSA -- described their current research, and received feedback from Dr Yoichi Nemoto, former president of the Policy Research Institute of Japan’s Ministry of Finance.
Next, Dr Rabindra Osti, a water resources specialist at the Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture Division of ADB’s East Asia Department, delivered a presentation on his career path leading to his present position at the international development organization.
This was followed by a panel discussion on "Collaboration between International Development Organizations and Universities", chaired by Professor Tomomi Yagi of the Kyoto University Graduate School of Engineering. The panelists included, from the ADB: Mr Tanabe, Dr Kim, Dr Osti, and Mr Tatsuya Kanai (senior advisor of the Office of Cofinancing Operations), and from Kyoto University: Professor Fumiharu Mieno (Center for Southeast Asian Studies), Associate Professor Kwangmoon Kim (GSM-KU), Professor Yukari Mitsuhashi (vice-director of the International Strategy Office), and Dr Fernando Palacio (program-specific senior lecturer in the International Strategy Office). The session explored ways in which international development organizations and universities can leverage each other’s unique strengths in collaborative activities. At one time, several scholarship students in the audience shared the ways in which they hope to contribute to their countries.
The event was brought to a close with an address from Dr Shinsuke Kawazoe, executive vice-president for student affairs and library services, who expressed his commitment to furthering comprehensive institution-to-institution collaboration between Kyoto University and ADB.
The symposium is anticipated to lead to enhanced support for international students, as well as new research and education initiatives at Kyoto University.
Symposium participants and attendees
