On Dec. 11, the 8th Kobe University – Beijing Foreign Studies University Joint Symposium took place at Kobe University’s Takigawa Memorial Hall.
Kobe University has been strengthening its exchange with Beijing Foreign Studies University since concluding an inter-university academic exchange agreement in November 2008, and our close partnership includes a double degree program at the Graduate School of Economics. We have continued to develop our bilateral cooperation with the establishment of the Kobe University and Beijing Foreign Studies University International Collaborative Research Base at Beijing Foreign Studies University in January 2015 and at Kobe University in April 2016.
This symposium series started in the academic year 2015 as part of the activities of the Kobe University and Beijing Foreign Studies University International Collaborative Research Base. This year’s symposium was held in person for the first time in three years since the COVID-19 pandemic, and was held on the theme of “Reading Kanji - Japanese and Chinese.”
In the morning session, a workshop for young researchers was held in conjunction with the symposium. Facilitated by Program Associate Professor INOUE Kosuke (Global Education Center, Kobe University), 3 researchers from Beijing Foreign Studies University and 2 researchers from Kobe University gave presentations about their research areas and discussed the possibility of collaboration in their research.
The symposium, which started in the afternoon, began with opening remarks given by Professor NAKAZAWA Minato (the Director of the Asia & Oceania Division, Kobe University) and Associate Professor WU Jiangcheng (School of Japanese and International Studies, Beijing Foreign Studies University).
In Part I, on the theme of “Reading Kanji - Japanese and Chinese,” speakers included Associate Professor FUJIMOTO Akari (School of Humanities, Tsinghua University), Associate Professor ISHIYAMA Yuji (Graduate School of Humanities, Kobe University), and Professor MURAO Hajime (Graduate School of International Cultural Studies, Kobe University). In the following discussion, there was a lively exchange of views and opinions on the evolution of Japanese readings, the role of dictionaries, how to read kanji in the age of AI, and other issues.
In Part II, Associate Professor WU Jiangcheng and Associate Professor LIU Zhaoyuan (School of Japanese and International Studies, Beijing Foreign Studies University) gave presentations on the theme of “Media and Policy.”
At the end of the symposium, a farewell reception was held. The party provided an opportunity to deepen exchanges with the symposium speakers, something that was difficult to achieve with the previous online event.
It is hoped that this symposium will further deepen the exchange between the two universities.
(Global Engagement Division)