USM PENANG, 20 April 2023 – The KUFS-USM Japanese Cultural Centre (KUFS-USM JCC) located at the TORAY-USM Knowledge Transfer Centre at the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) main campus here is a symbol of the bilateral cultural relation and collaboration that has been established between Kyoto University of Foreign Studies (KUFS) Japan and USM.

According to its Director, Tokunaga Makoto during his visit to the USM Media and Public Relations Centre (MPRC) office last month, the centre was founded with the purpose of fostering global talents who can contribute to social peace, sustainable advancement and stronger collaboration with other members in the ASEAN region.

“The collaboration between both universities especially in the field of language education and research involved several initiatives that included student exchange/mobility programmes, joint research projects and faculty development programmes,” he said.

Makoto added, “As for the student exchange programmes, students from both universities have the opportunity to study abroad between a semester or two, immersing themselves in a foreign culture and language.”

Meanwhile, he also cited that the joint research projects between KUFS and USM would involve faculty members in the areas of language education, linguistic and cultural studies, as it would help in promoting cross-cultural understanding and advance knowledge in the field of language education.

“The faculty development programmes are aimed to enhance the skills and knowledge of language educators in both universities through training programmes, workshops and seminars.

“The collaboration itself also helps to strengthen the capacity of language educators and researchers in both institutions, leading to higher-quality language education and research outcomes,” he further explained.

Overall, the KUFS-USM collaboration is an important initiative that promotes internationalisation and strengthens the academic and research capacities of both universities in the aforementioned fields.

Makoto was appointed the Director of KUFS-USM JCC in August 2022, replacing the long serving, Soeda Masatoshi.

When asked about his mission as the newly appointed KUFS-USM JCC Director, Makoto said that he aspires to contribute and to achieve the objectives of the Malaysian government in becoming a hub of educational excellence in Asia.

Makoto also aspires to build a new relationship between Malaysia and Japan as ‘Equal Partners’ through various mutually-exclusive programmes. The slogan would progress too, from ‘Look East’ to ‘Look at Each Other’ and ‘Learn from Each Other’.

“My direction and future plan for KUFS-USM JCC is to expand activities in promoting better understanding between Japan and Malaysia through various cultural exchange programmes and mobility/edu-tourism,” he said.

“My plan is also to promote a wider awareness and keen interest in USM among students from Japan as one of the most preferred higher education institutions in Asia by public relations and marketing communication activities, and also to develop global human capital who can be leaders in the coming era of Asia,” Makoto added.

Makoto was an alumnus from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), who graduated from the Faculty of Modern Language and Communication, majoring in Master of Corporate Communication. He has since started his journey with USM from August 2022.

Makoto’s prior working experience was as the Assistant to Information Secretary in the Embassy of Malaysia from 1985 to 1991, and prior to becoming the KUFS-USM JCC Director, he was the Manager of the Tourist Development Corporation (TDC) of Malaysia, which was later renamed as the Malaysia Tourism Board at the Tokyo Office.

Text: Nur Farrah Ezlin Mohd Suhaimi