Minister Ikegami’s visit to Durham and Newcastle Universities

From 7 to 8 May, Deputy Head of Mission Minister Masaki Ikegami visited Durham and Newcastle, where he held discussions with Professor Mike Shipman, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and President of Durham University, as well as with researchers in Japanese Studies and advanced science and technology. At Newcastle University, he met with Vice-Chancellor Professor Chris Day and engaged with students and scholars involved in Japanese Studies as well as with researchers in other fields.
  On 7 May, during his meeting with Professor Mike Shipman, Minister Ikegami highlighted the important role Durham University plays in promoting Japanese Studies and Japanese language education. Minister Ikegami also had discussions with faculty members engaged in Japanese Studies and advanced research areas such as quantum mechanics, space science, molecular biology, disaster resilience and environmental energy. He expressed his hope for the further development of Japanese Studies and Japanese language education as well as broader academic and industry collaboration between Japan and the UK.
  On 8 May, Minister Ikegami had a meeting with Professor Chris Day in which they affirmed the significance of Japanese Studies and Japanese language education at Newcastle University. Minister Ikegami also held discussions with faculty members in these fields and observed a Japanese language class. He expressed his hope that such students would become future bridges between Japan and the UK. Additionally, he visited research laboratories in cognitive and translational neuroscience, where he looked forward to deeper academic exchange between Japan and the UK in the future.