From December 6 to December 9, Kobe University President Hiroshi Takeda visited Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. He was accompanied by Professor Matsuto Ogawa (Executive Vice President in Charge of Industry-University Cooperation), Professor Akio Tomiyama (Dean of the Graduate School of Engineering), Professor Takashi Kita (Vice-Dean of the Graduate School of Engineering), Professor Yukio Tosa (Vice-Dean of the Graduate School of Agricultural Science), Professor Tamotsu Nakamura (Graduate School of Economics), Professor Kan Kimura (Director of the Center for Asian Academic Collaboration) and Project Assistant Professor Tatsuya Maisawa (Center for Asian Academic Collaboration). This visit took place on the occasion of the Kobe University-Royal University of Phnom Penh Academic Research and Education Forum, jointly organized with our partner institution the Royal University of Phnom Penh, and a gathering of the Kobe University Alumni Association in Cambodia.

The Kobe University-Royal University of Phnom Penh Academic Research and Education Forum was held on the morning of December 7, with approximately 50 participants from Kobe University and the Royal University of Phnom Penh. The event opened with greetings from President Takeda, Dr. Chet Chealy (Rector of the Royal University of Phnom Penh), and Dr. Mey Kalyan (Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Royal University of Phnom Penh), who expressed their expectations that this Forum would provide an opportunity to further strengthen the ties of friendship between Cambodia and Japan and the development of academic exchange and joint research between both universities. 

Following this, the event was divided into three sessions (engineering, natural sciences, and social sciences) featuring outlines and discussions of the graduate schools and education and research fields offered at the two institutions. Lively discussions continued until the last moment, and Executive Vice President Ogawa gave the closing address.

On the evening of December 7 a grand gathering of the Kobe University Alumni Association in Cambodia took place. As well as the alumni resident in Cambodia, the event was also attended from Kobe University by President Takeda, Executive Vice President Ogawa and other faculty members. The Alumni Association in Cambodia was established in 2016, and there are currently around 60 members.

The gathering kicked off with words of welcome from Dr. Mey Kalyan, followed by an expression of gratitude from President Takeda. The event was a joyous occasion full of humorous and lively accounts by alumni, and provided a chance for the Kobe University delegation members to learn more about the activities of the Alumni Association in Cambodia.