The Alumni Club of Japanese Universities held its latest meeting. Graduates who studied in Japan and later pursued professional growth gathered at the residence of the Ambassador of Japan to the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Each year, the number of Club members grows, and their meetings, this one being the ninth, are becoming increasingly active and productive. They are united by Japan and by the desire to contribute to the development of their homeland, Uzbekistan, by applying the best of the international experience they have gained.

“As Uzbekistan is an important strategic partner of Japan, I sincerely hope that the knowledge and experience you acquired in this country will contribute to Uzbekistan’s economic and social development”, said Kenji Hirata, Ambassador of Japan to the Republic of Uzbekistan, as he welcomed the participants.

He noted that the Land of the Rising Sun was among the first to establish educational cooperation with Uzbekistan after the country gained independence. Since 1996, Japan has been implementing the MEXT scholarship program, through which 556 young students from Uzbekistan have had the opportunity to study in Japan.

Since 1999, the JDS scholarship program has also been implemented through JICA and JICE offices, enabling around 360 Uzbekistan citizens to pursue their studies in Japan. Thanks to these programs, as well as the JASSO scholarship and other exchange initiatives, more than 1,000 young people from Uzbekistan have continued their education in Japan.

Graduates of Japanese universities are successfully applying the knowledge and skills they acquired in the Land of the Rising Sun to develop their home country, Uzbekistan. The annual meetings of the Alumni Club, along with exchanges of experience and plans, serve as strong motivation to achieve even greater success in their professional careers.

Founded in July 2014, the Uzbekistan Japan Universities Alumni Club (UJUAC) today has around 400 members.

N. Usmanova, UzA