Abu Dhabi: Japan is looking at setting itself as another attractive destination for education for Emirati students.
With an estimated number of around 90 Emirati students studying in Japan, the country’s education sector is looking to increase that number to 500 over the next two years, and recently organised a four-day Study in Japan fair to promote higher education studies in Japan. The fair comes to a close on Monday.
As part of the event, four of Japan’s leading universities — Nagasaki University, Tokushima University, Ritsumeikan University, and International University of Japan — are all being represented to showcase what they can offer to prospective Emirati students.
“At the moment Japan has over 20 Nobel Prize winners in scientific fields. We believe that these winners serve as a strong demonstration of the Japanese education system and its very high standards, which we hope to get young Emiratis involved in,” said Tokuya Kanamori, a representative from the Educational Development Office, Japan International Cooperation Centre.
“The UAE is fast becoming one of the major players in the energy sector, and this involves a lot of engineering expertise. As a result of this, a lot of Japanese universities want to have closer cooperation with the universities of the UAE because we believe we have the experience and knowledge to help the UAE achieve its goals,” he added.
Kanamori also said that the event was keen to highlight Japan’s cultural aspects, which can also play a part in attracting Emirati students to the country.
“The thinking and culture between Japan and the UAE is very similar and so, as part of our fair, we are promoting fields of traditional Japanese culture alongside Japanese education. We definitely feel that Emirati students who come to Japan can enjoy and get a very good experience of a wide variety of Japanese culture,” he said.
Dr Victor V. Kryssanov, Head of Global Innovation Laboratory at Ritsumeikan University, told Gulf News that there was a new focus on the region as a result of several Japanese industries moving to the area.
“Until recently we have been mainly focusing on Asian regions like China, Korea, and Thailand. However, we have decided to explore new markets because we have to follow the requests of the industry. As the industry moves, including coming to the UAE, they prefer to hire local people who are educated based on Japanese academic standards,” he said.
“Another reason for taking interest in this region is because the Japanese government has recognised this region as strategically important, and feels it can play a big role in helping the UAE progress,” he added.
Mohammad Al Muhairi, an Emirati who visited the fair, said it was a good opportunity to learn about what is on offer in Japan, and that he was happy with what he learnt.
“I have visited Japan before and I enjoyed the trip, so it’s also nice to find out there are good financial schools there that offer the subjects I am looking for in accounting and economics-based courses,” he said.
Al Muhairi also spoke positively of Japan’s culture, and said it was helpful to be able to identity with another country’s culture and traditions when going abroad.
“The Japanese people have a very deeply embedded culture, they are a very respectful, calm, helpful and welcoming people, so in that sense there are many similarities with our own Emirati culture,” he said.
With inputs by Aseel Lulu, Intern at Gulf News
