Berita

Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY) recently hosted a visit from the Japanese Embassy in Indonesia, led by Ambassador H.E. Masaki Yasushi. The delegation included Tanaka Motoyasu, Director of Political Affairs, and Furunobu Koichi, Second Secretary. This visit is aimed to enhance cooperation in education, economy, energy, infrastructure, and security.

A key focus of the discussions was strengthening educational ties between UMY and Japan. Ambassador H.E. Masaki Yasushi emphasized the “Genesis” program, an exchange initiative launched in 2017 for Muhammadiyah students. This year, Zain Maulana, Ph.D, a lecturer in International Relations at UMY, will join the program. Ambassador Masaki underscored the importance of student and professor exchanges to foster mutual understanding.  Zain Maulana, Ph.D also outlined UMY’s existing Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with five Japanese universities: Kyoto University, Tokyo Medical University, Tokushima University, Yamanashi University, and Oita University of Nursing. He also mentioned recent faculty visits to Ryokoku University, Hyogo University, and Kobe University to explore further collaboration. 

Through conversations, Prof. Dr. IGunawan Budiyanto, M.P., IPM., ASEAN.Eng., the Rector of Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta, emphasized the importance of increasing cooperation opportunities with Japanese Universities and other institutions. This also included plans to enhance cooperation in documentary filmmaking with the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, a project the Japanese Embassy supports. Japan is keen to broaden collaborative efforts in education and other fields, with the Embassy promising ongoing support. 

Ambassador H.E. Masaki Yasushi highlighted the significance of human exchanges in strengthening bilateral relations and praised UMY’s efforts. He also showed interest in UMY’s annual International Culinary and Cultural Festival (ICCF), suggesting participation from Japanese students in Indonesia. The meeting concluded with  Zain Maulana, Ph.D reaffirming UMY’s commitment to expanding academic partnerships with Japanese institutions. He mentioned UMY’s plans to host summer schools in various disciplines, including tropical medicine, and invited Japanese universities to participate. Both parties expressed optimism for continued collaboration and successful joint initiatives.