The purpose of this symposium was to introduce the initiatives of universities involved in Japan-India exchange, to present reports of students who participated in the exchange program, and to share information and opinions on the efforts made in Japan-India exchange projects through industry-academia-government collaboration. The first symposium aimed to build a platform for promoting exchanges and developing sustainable and robust Japan-India exchanges.

Japanese and Indian faculty, students and other members involved in Japan-India collaborations in various fields from industry, government, and academia attended the symposium. In Part 1, lectures were given on the significance and perspectives of the Platform Program. In Part 2, presentations were made by participants of the Japan-India Student Exchange Program on the achievements and prospect of the MEXT Inter-University Exchange Project (India), and a panel discussion was held on the theme of human resource development. During lunchtime, the universities participating in the MEXT Inter-University Exchange Project (India), the Japan Science and Technology Agency, and the Japan TATA Consultancy Services Co., Ltd. held poster sessions to introduce their initiatives. The symposium provided a great opportunity for the participants to share information and create networks to further expand Japan-India collaborations.

Lectures

Keynote Speech 1

Professor Akio TANABE

Professor Akio Tanabe of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the University of Tokyo, gave a keynote speech entitled "History and Contemporary Significance of Japan-India Intellectual Exchange."

Invitational Lecture 1

Prof. Mahesh PANCHAGNULA

Professor Mahesh Panchagnula, Dean of International & Alumni Relations at the Indian Institute of Technology (IITM,) gave a lecture entitled "Indo-Japan Education partnership: IITMadras experience."

Invitational Lecture 2

Mr. Tenpei Oda

Mr. Tenpei Oda, Deputy General Manager of Indian High-Speed Rail Division, International Affairs Headquarters, East Japan Railway Company, gave a lecture on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Project.

Reports by Participants of the Japan-India Student Exchange Program, etc.

Report1

Fumikazu Iwabuchi (Master's Student, School of Engineering, Nagaoka University of Technology)

Mr. Fumikazu Iwabuchi, a master's student at Nagaoka University of Science and Technology, made a presentation about the “Cooperative Engineer Education Program with South Indian Universities based on the Long-Term Internship Experience.” He experienced the six-month internship at the Indian Institute of Technology at Madras (IITM) and Amada Soft India Pvt Ltd. He participated the program to learn most advanced technology growing rapidly in India as a future engineer. During the stay, he not only acquired practical skills, but also had opportunities to deepen his understanding of different cultures. For example, he participated in an International Day and cooked Japanese cuisine for students from various countries. He also attended a wedding ceremony of a friend, which was very different from the Japanese style. He said these experiences helped him learn a lot about cross-cultural exchange.

Report2

Rahul Garg (Master's Student, School of Engineering, UTokyo)

Mr. Rahul Garg applied for an internship program of "The India-Japan Education Program (IJEP)” when he was a bachelor's student at the Indian Institute of Technology (IITH.) He spent about two months at the University of Tokyo and later participated in the Sakura Science Program at Ritsumeikan University (Japan Science and Technology Agency.) Having completed two short-term study programs in Japan, he has now received scholarships from JICA and enrolled in the Department of Civil Engineering, School of Engineering, the University of Tokyo. He explained that he felt convenience, security and respect for others during his stay in Japan, and it motivated him to proceed to graduate school in Japan. In addition, support teams, host family programs, and Japanese language classes helped him a lot to live in Japan without any difficulty or homesick. He reported that he would like to support Indian students and work in Japan in the future, and expressed his intention to further enhance Japanese language skills.

Report3

Tatsuki Yamanami (Master's Student, Graduate School of Frontier Science, UTokyo)

Mr. Tatsuki Yamanami, a master's student at the University of Tokyo, participated in a workshop held in IITH as a part of “i.school,” an educational program that fosters innovative and creative students. He pursues his research theme “Survey on Social Acceptance of Automatic Driving Systems" not only at the university but also at a company he founded. In order to apply his research outcomes to cross-sectional and international city planning and social designing, he cooperates with various organizations and expands his field of activities in India. He has visited India several times after the workshop. He referred to the development of the new capital of Andhra Pradesh, noting that while Japanese companies often provide support for hardware infrastructure, many other countries focus on funding startups and other businesses. After investigating the current state of the Indian economy and its infrastructure, he found out three key points for linking investment in infrastructure and investment in startup ecosystems. They are 1) ability to carry out projects across countries, 2) solidarity of societies in remote areas, and 3) establishment of a cross-appointments system between India and Japan.

Panel Discussion about Japan-India Government Academia Industry Collaboration and Development of Human Resource

Panel Discussion

Dr. Kohei NAGAI, Associate Professor, Institute of Industrial Science, UTokyo [Moderator]

First, each panelist summarized his/her relationship with India on a single slide and gave a self-introduction, then it is discussed about Japan-India Government Academia Industry Collaboration and Development of Human Resource.