KOTA KINABALU: The visit of the Japanese Ambassador to Malaysia, Takahashi Katsuhiko to the Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) Mosque recently is a manifestation of the close relationship between Japan and UMS.
Takahashi and his wife were welcomed to the UMS Mosque, also known as ‘The Pink Mosque’, by the director of the Center for Internationalization and Global Engagement (PPPG), Associate Professor Dr Wardatul Akmam Din.
According to Wardatul, the close relationship between the Japanese government and UMS has been established for a long time through various collaborations.
“Since 2019, a total of 20 universities in Japan have signed several letters of intent (LoI) and memorandums of understanding (MoU) in the academic field with UMS.
“The collaboration is related to student mobility and research activities that involve providing funds to UMS researchers, as well as staff mobility,” she said.
She added that the infrastructure provided by UMS, especially in the marine field, had successfully attracted the interest of Kindai University, which witnessed a collaboration with the university.
“Most recently, a strategic cooperation relationship was also signed in the field of social sciences between UMS and Nagasaki University involving the mobility of academics from the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities.
“UMS always strives to form strategic collaborations with foreign university partners in promoting UMS as an educational hub, especially in the Borneo region.
“With the diversity of flora and fauna and having a unique culture inhabited by more than 40 ethnics in the state of Sabah, this is one of the natural attractions that UMS can offer to researchers and students who want to experience new things,” she said.
Wardatul also informed that as of 2022 nine Japanese students have graduated from UMS while more than 100 people have followed the academic mobility and edutourism program offered by the university.
“We will always open space and opportunities to increase the number of mobility students from Japan,” she said.
During the visit, Takahashi also visited Hatchery, the Borneo Marine Research Institute.
