On January 31, 2024, H.E. Mr. Sibi George, Ambassador of India to Japan and Mr. Ajay Kumar Sethi, Second Secretary of the Embassy of India visited Yokohama National University.
First, Ambassador George and his delegation met with President UMEHARA Izuru and Prof. KABASHIMA Hiromi, Vice President for Global Affairs. President UMEHARA spoke about YNU's active exchange activities with India in recent years, and how YNU currently has exchange agreements with eight Indian universities. Professor Emeritus SUZUKI Atsushi spoke about the significance of exchange with India and the importance of networking with Indian researchers, based on his experience of serving on the DST-JSPS Science Council for more than 10 years. The Ambassador spoke about the need to deepen exchanges between India and Japan for the sake of peace and stability, and to increase student exchanges, aiming for 15,000 foreign students from India. The Ambassador also expressed his willingness to cooperate fully with YNU's Typhoon Science and Technology Research Center and other research exchanges, making this a very positive meeting.

Next, the Ambassador and his delegation attended a round-table meeting with related faculty and staff of YOKOHAMA-SXIP, where Associate Professor NAKAMURA Kazuho, Chair of the Program Executive Committee, introduced the outputs of the exchange to date. The Ambassador expressed his high appreciation for the active international education program and his hope that the exchange will continue to flourish.

Lastly, the Ambassador and his delegation met with students from India and the Kanagawa Prefecture Overseas Technical Trainee enrolled at YNU. The Ambassador spoke of the affinity between Japan and India and his expectations for the students studying in Japan. Students asked various questions and the Ambassador answered them with a smile and gave words of encouragement to the students. The Ambassador warmly invited the students to visit the Embassy anytime, and the meeting was a very motivating opportunity for the students.
　The exchange event with the Ambassador and his delegation was a great success. It was a very valuable opportunity for our university, and we look forward to continued cooperation with the Embassy in the future.

YOKOHAMA-SXIP: Yokohama International Education Program for Leading Sustainability Transformation towards a Resilient Society with Industry-Government-Academia Network