April 10, 2017

On March 11-13, the Center for Asian Academic Collaboration held the second Kobe University Exchange Day at Sichuan University (Chengdu, Sichuan Province) with the aim of raising the University’s profile overseas. The events included a symposium jointly hosted by Sichuan University and Kobe University.
A symposium on disaster management, disaster reduction, and post-disaster reconstruction was held on March 11, attended by Professor INOUE Noriyuki (Executive Vice President in Charge of International Exchange at Kobe University) and Professor CHEN Yong (Chancellor of the College of Architecture and Environment at Sichuan University). On March 13 there was an introduction to Kobe University, followed by a signing ceremony to conclude an academic exchange agreement between Kobe University and Sichuan University.
The symposium was attended from Sichuan University by Professor LU Hongyan (Chancellor of the College of Architecture and Environment), Professor YANG Cuibai (College of Law), Associate Professor DI Baofeng (College of Architecture and Environment), and Associate Professor TIAN Bingwei (Institute for Disaster Management and Reconstruction). From Kobe University the attendees were Professor OGATA Yasushi (Director of the Center for Asian Academic Collaboration), Professor KOU Lin (Deputy Director of the Center for Asian Academic Collaboration), Professor HOKUGO Akihiko (Research Center for Urban Safety and Security) and Professor YOSHIOKA Shoichi (Research Center for Urban Safety and Security).
The event began with an overview of Kobe University from Executive Vice President INOUE Noriyuki and an introduction to the Research Center for Urban Safety and Security from Professor HOKUGO, followed by presentations of research related to disaster management, disaster reduction and post-disaster reconstruction and restoration. Following this, the participants discussed issues such as disaster assessment and legal systems, sharing insights from both Japanese and Chinese perspectives.
March 11 marked the sixth year since the Great East Japan Earthquake. Both Kobe University and Sichuan University are located in areas that were devastated by earthquakes in the past (the Great Hanshin Earthquake in Japan, and the Great Wenchuan Earthquake in China). This symposium facilitated intense dialogue on these topics.
On March 13, an introduction to Kobe University aimed at Sichuan University’s undergraduate and graduate students took place. Following this, Executive Vice President INOUE Noriyuki and Sichuan University’s Executive Vice President YAN Shiyu had a cordial conversation, and a signing ceremony was held for an academic exchange agreement between our institutions. The ceremony was attended from Sichuan University by Mr. Guan Ping (Deputy Director of the International Office), Professor CHEN Yong (Chancellor of the College of Architecture and Environment), and Professor WANG Shuyu (Head of the Department of Japanese in the College of Foreign Languages).
At this year’s Kobe University Exchange Day an academic exchange agreement was signed with Sichuan University, building further upon a foundation of mutual exchange. We look forward to increased academic exchange between both universities.

(International Affairs Planning Division)