On July 25, 2023, the Japan Committee of Universities for International Exchange (JACUIE) and the Foundation for International Cooperation in Higher Education of Taiwan (FICHET) jointly organized an international conference titled “2023 Taiwan-Japan University Presidents’ Forum, : Fostering Next-gen Talent: The Capacity-building Roadmap for Higher Education -” at National Chi Nan University in Puli, Taiwan. The forum was attended by 57 participants from 28 Japanese national, public, and private universities and 75 participants from 53 Taiwanese universities, mainly consisting of presidents and vice presidents. The participants presented case studies, exchanged ideas, and shared information.
   The opening remarks were delivered by Dr. Nicole Yen-Yi Lee, Director General of the Department of International and Cross-strait Education of Ministry of Education in Taiwan, Mr. IZUMI Hiroyasu, Chief Representative of Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association (video message), Prof. Cheng-Chih Wu, Chairperson of FICHET and President of National Taiwan Normal University, Prof. TANIOKA Ichiro, Vice Chairperson of JACUIE and Chancellor/President of Osaka University of Commerce, and Prof. Dong-Sing Wuu, President of National Chi Nan University (the host university). They expressed their sincere appreciation for the friendly relations between Japan and Taiwan as well as all the organizations involved in the forum. They also stated that this forum provides an opportunity for further development of higher education on both sides.

  Following the opening remarks, an award ceremony was held for presenting the Medal for Contributions to the Field of Education Award to Prof. NAGATA Kyosuke, President of the Japan Association of National Universities (JANU) and President of the University of Tsukuba. (Details to follow.)   

  Next, Prof. Huey-Jen Su, Advisor of FICHET, gave a keynote speech on “Sustainable Development and Social Practice,” in which she passionately presented SDGs initiatives and social roles at universities in Japan, Taiwan, and other countries.    

  Four sessions followed.
  In each session, one university from Japan and one from Taiwan presented their unique initiatives under the different themes, respectively, “Developing Highly Specialized Talent for Leading Advanced Science and Technology,” “Advancing Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Higher Education,” “Global Talent Attractiveness: New Opportunities and Prospects,” and “Cross-disciplinary Research & Academic Collaboration.” After each presentations, a lively Q&A session and a discussion among the participants demonstrated a high level of interest in human resource development in higher education in Japan and Taiwan.

  In closing remarks, Prof. Yun-Hua Yang, Acting ED of FICHET, and Prof. USHIKI Tatsuo, a Committee Member of JACUIE and President of Niigata University, expressed their gratitude to the organizers, the host university, presenters, and all the participants. They also stressed that this forum was a significant event that would contribute to further developing the exchange between Taiwanese and Japanese universities.

  During the forum, the Taiwan Ministry of Education awarded the Second Class Medal for Contributions to the Field of Education to Prof. NAGATA Kyosuke, President of JANU. He is the first Japanese university president who received this honor. His efforts and achievements, such as signing the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Agreement (2016), regularly holding the Presidents’ Forum as the chairperson of JACUIE, and bringing many Taiwanese universities to participate in the “Japan Virtual Campus (JV-Campus)” program, were highly evaluated in Japan-Taiwan higher education and academic exchange. Dr. Nicole Yen-Yi Lee, Director General of the Taiwan Ministry of Education introduced and presented the Medal to Prof. NAGATA, who then delivered an acceptance speech.

  After the forum, a welcome reception was held at The Lalu Hotel, where participants from Taiwan and Japan had the chance to deepen their friendship in a friendly atmosphere.

  In 2016, JACUIE signed an exchange agreement with FICHET. The first exchange program took place in Tainan in the same year, the second in Hiroshima in 2018, the third was held online in 2021 due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. This time, the fourth was held in person for the first time in five years. 
   We are planning to hold the fifth exchange program in 2025 in Japan, while continuing to promote further exchange between Taiwanese and Japanese universities and the development of higher education, cooperating with FICHET and other related organizations.