From 8 to 10 July, UNU Rector Prof. Tshilidzi Marwala and UNU-IAS Director Dr. Shinobu Yume Yamaguchi traveled to Kumamoto, Saga and Fukuoka Prefectures in Japan.
Prof. Marwala began his trip with a visit to the Kumamoto Prefectural Government Office, where he met with Deputy Governor Mr. Naotaka Kamesaki and other officials from the Kumamoto Prefectural Government. Prof. Marwala was briefed on Kumamoto’s policies to promote their semiconductor industry and was also welcomed by Kumamon, Kumamoto’s famous mascot, who also serves as the prefecture’s Sales Manager and Happiness Manager.
During his stay, Prof. Marwala met with the Deputy Mayor of Kumamoto City Mr. Toshimi Tanaka, Kumimoto City Superintendent Mr. Hiromichi Endo and other representatives of the Kumamoto Municipal Government. They discussed the importance of promoting AI literacy and building capacity to support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Rector Marwala finished his Kumamoto tour at Kumamoto University where he gave a special lecture on “UNU and Its Role in Advancing the SDGs” to university students and faculty, as well as younger students, teachers and parents from the community. He also met with the President of Kumamoto University Dr. Hisao Ogawa and other university leaders to discuss research on sustainable semiconductors and potential partnerships and collaborations.
At his next destination, Saga Prefecture, Prof. Marwala visited Saga University and met with University President Prof. Hiroaki Kodama and other leaders from the institution. Prof. Marwala was briefed on the university’s research on ocean energy as well as international collaborations pursued by the university. He also engaged in a discussion with a group of student representatives.
Prof. Marwala then moved on to Fukuoka Prefecture where he visited two academic institutions. First, at Kyushu University, he met with University President Dr. Tatsuro Ishibashi and his team to discuss the role of universities in contributing to a sustainable society, as well as potential collaborations between UNU and Kyushu University. He also gave a special lecture to the students at the School of Interdisciplinary Science and Innovation on the topic of “UNU and Its Role in Advancing the SDGs”. The lecture was followed by a Q&A session with students that covered topics such as sustainability and global collaboration.
The final stop of Rector Marwala’s three-day trip was the University of Kitakyushu — a member university of the UNU SDG-Universities Platform established by UNU-IAS. There, he met with University President Prof. Masato Yanai and his team to discuss ideas for further collaboration. During his visit, he gave a special lecture on “Creating a Sustainable Society: The New Roles of Universities Dealing with AI” and engaged in discussions with the university’s graduate students.
This visit received coverage on Kumamoto Nichinichi Newspaper, Kumamoto Telecasting Corporation, and FNN Prime Online (in Japanese).
Since arriving at UNU in March 2023, Prof. Marwala has made it his mission to travel to, and deliver lectures in, all 47 prefectures of Japan. Upon completing this recent trip, Prof. Marwala has travelled to 20 prefectures and presented 16 lectures.
