Panel Discussion

In the panel discussion which followed, Professor Masahide Horita of the Graduate School of Frontier Sciences of UTokyo acted as moderator, and was joined by Ms. Norie Kobayashi, Coordinator of the IITM-NUT Office at Nagaoka University of Technology, Professor Hiroyuki Koyama, Associate Director of Organization for Promotion of Glocalization and Head of Glocalization Promotion Division at Gifu University, and Mr. Tetsuya Nakamura, Chief Digital Innovation Officer & Vice President of Tata Consultancy Services Japan, as panelists.
The panelists first introduced case studies of their own organizations' initiatives, followed by a discussion.

Ms. Kobayashi introduced practical skills training (called as “Jitsumu-kunren”) and internship programs through the tripartite agreement between Nagaoka University of Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM), and companies, as well as the joint guidance program for PhD researchers between Nagaoka University of Technology and IITM.

Prof. Koyama introduced the joint degree program between Gifu University and the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG), which is based on the close relationship between the universities of Japan and India and the collaboration with the local economy.

Mr. Otani introduced the project to accept foreign students from Kerala, which started because Dr. Hajime Nakamura (Professor Emeritus of the University of Tokyo, Indian philosophy) is from Matsue City. He explained that this project was implemented jointly by several cities with geographical ties across the border of the prefecture, in cooperation with local companies and Shimane University.

Mr. Nakamura gave an introduction about TCS, to which he belongs, and the strategic collaboration between TCS and UTokyo. He then explained that India is the best partner to lead Japan to growth, and that it is necessary for Japan to "engage" with India based on accurate knowledge about India.

In the discussion that followed, Professor Horita raised the question of how to build a framework that would enable collaboration among the various Japan-India exchange initiatives. Mr. Koyama then asked how and in what direction the various initiatives could be connected. In response, Mr. Nakamura pointed out the importance of concentrating on specific areas to effectively deepen exchanges and the importance of speed. Ms. Kobayashi also explained the difference in the sense of speed between India and Japan. She also explained the importance of mutual understanding between India and Japan, and the effectiveness of studying in Japan as an initiative to let Indian students know about Japan. Mr. Otani pointed out the need for changes on the part of Japanese companies in terms of English language skills and speed in accepting Indian students who came to Japan for internships.

At the end of the discussion, Professor Horita asked about ways to make collaboration easier, to which the panelists responded as follows.

Ms. Kobayashi mentioned that this symposium was meaningful for her and emphasized the importance of increasing opportunities for information exchange. Prof. Koyama pointed out that it is necessary to create a framework for cooperation, not only with large corporations but also with people in the family businesses in the future, and in addition, it is important to increase opportunities for information exchange such as symposiums. Mr. Otani expressed his hope that Indian students who had come to Japan for internships and students of Shimane University would contribute in promoting the Japan-India exchange by acting as a bridge. Finally, Mr. Nakamura expressed his recognition of the current situation that we are in the phase of accelerating Japan-India exchange, and pointed out the importance of deepening mutual understanding and continuing exchange between Japan and India.