December 15, 2017
On November 23, Professor MIZUTANI Fumitoshi (Executive Vice President in Charge of Planning and Evaluation Management, Human Resources and Labor Management) gave a lecture at the Budapest Business School cross-cultural workshop “Day of Hungarian Science - Corporate Culture and Economy: Resemblance and Variances between Japan and Hungary”.
The event began with an exchange of gifts between Dr. Sára Csillag (Vice-rector for Research) and Professor Mizutani, followed by a photo session with all participants. WAJIMA Takehiko (Counsellor, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Japan in Hungary) gave the opening greeting, and Dr. Tamás Novák (Director of the Oriental Business and Innovation Center) also gave a speech representing the event organizers.

After this, moderated by Dr. Zoltan Szabó (Director of International Affairs), Professor Mizutani gave a lecture titled “Change and Reform of Public Utilities in Japan in Comparison: The Case of Railway and its Cultural background, Technology and Leadership”. The attendees listened with interest to the presentation, which highlighted the contrasts between Japan and Europe and Japan and Norway. The presentations were followed by a roundtable discussion, with cross-cultural questions from a variety of perspectives covering intercultural business communication, Japanese business culture, and economic policies to increase the number of Japanese women in the workplace. A lively discussion took place with all participants.
Following the workshop, Professor Mizutani discussed future academic exchange with Dr. Novák and Dr. Csaba Moldicz (Head of Research at the Oriental Business and Innovation Center), then members of the Budapest Business School guided him to his next destination: the Central Bank of Hungary.

At the Central Bank of Hungary Professor Mizutani was welcomed by Dr. Szilárd Boros (Counsellor, Department of Education) who visited Kobe University in June this year. He then visited Dr. Zoltán Dubéczi (Director of the Education Directorate) in a meeting also attended by Dr. Levente Horvath (Head of Department, Education Directorate-International Department for Education). Dr. Dubéczi introduced the Bank’s newly-established funding system for international academic exchange between Hungary and foreign universities. He offered various suggestions about potential uses for these funds, such as developing student exchange programs, researcher exchange between Kobe University and universities in Hungary or the Central Bank of Hungary, internships, and academic exchange seminars in Hungary or Japan. Professor Mizutani introduced the SESAMI program (an English-taught Global Masters in Management offered by the Graduate School of Business Administration) as an example of our University’s promotion of social sciences education with an international focus. He also expressed his plans for the relevant departments of our University to collaborate with Hungarian universities in developing double degree programs and engaging in research exchange between faculty members.
Kobe University has strengthened its ties through mutual visits with Budapest Business School and the Central Bank of Hungary, and we will work to further expand exchange with these two organizations and other research institutions in Hungary.
(International Affairs Planning Division)