{"id":408351,"date":"2026-04-08T11:27:01","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T02:27:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ehime-u.ac.jp\/the-ministry-of-education-culture-sports-science-and-technology-mext-program-to-promote-employment-for-international-students-commissioned-project-reiwa-7-symposium-th\/"},"modified":"2026-10-16T13:55:46","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T04:55:46","slug":"the-ministry-of-education-culture-sports-science-and-technology-mext-program-to-promote-employment-for-international-students-commissioned-project-reiwa-7-symposium-th","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ehime-u.ac.jp\/en\/the-ministry-of-education-culture-sports-science-and-technology-mext-program-to-promote-employment-for-international-students-commissioned-project-reiwa-7-symposium-th\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) \u201cProgram to Promote Employment for International Students\u201d Commissioned Project: Reiwa 7 Symposium \u201cThe Future of Developing and Retaining Highly Skilled Foreign Nationals Through Regional Collaboration\u2014The Culmination of the \u2018All Ehime\u2019 Education Ecosystem and Future Prospects\u201d Was Held [Tuesday, February 24]"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Tuesday, February 24, Reiwa 8, Ehime University held the Reiwa 7 Symposium for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology\u2019s \u201cProgram to Promote Employment for International Students\u201d at our Johoku Campus.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A total of 97 participants\u201422 in person and 75 online\u2014from local governments, economic organizations, companies, universities, and other educational institutions attended, demonstrating the high level of interest in this program.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The symposium began with opening remarks by Hiroshige Nishina, President of Ehime University and Chair of the Ehime University Consortium for Promoting Employment of International Students.President Nishina emphasized that Ehime University\u2019s long-standing commitment to supporting international students\u2019 employment, along with the \u201cAll Ehime Ecosystem for the Education of Highly Skilled Foreign Professionals\u201d\u2014built through strong partnerships with over 250 supporting companies, Ehime Prefecture, economic organizations, support agencies for foreign residents, and local community members\u2014is a unique strength of Ehime.He also touched on Japan\u2019s current demographic challenges\u2014including population decline and the growing number of foreign workers\u2014and expressed his hope that international students, with their advanced knowledge and diverse values, would become a major force supporting Japan\u2019s future. He expressed his hope that this symposium would serve as a step toward realizing that vision.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the activity report that followed, Tomoko Izuki, Director of the International Student Employment Promotion Program, delivered a presentation titled \u201cThe History and Challenges of Ehime University\u2019s International Student Employment Promotion Program,\u201d in which she reported on specific achievements to date in training and retention support, as well as the challenges currently being faced.Furthermore, Michiko Izumiya, Promotion Coordinator; program participants Ousseini Faridah and Karin Yamakoshi; and Mitsuru Beppu of Justin Co., Ltd., a company hosting interns, took the stage to present the specific activities and outcomes of \u201cSDGs and Business Solutions: International and Japanese Students Learning Together.\u201dThey shared their learning and growth through the program from the perspectives of both international students and the company.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the case study session, Makiko Suzuki, Deputy Director of the Hyogo Kobe University Consortium (a general incorporated association), and Maiko Kitamura, Team Leader of the Economic Exchange Team in the Economic Exchange Section of the Hyogo Prefecture Department of Industry and Labor, took the stage to present \u201cInitiatives of the Hyogo Kobe University Consortium\u201d as an example of innovative collaboration from another prefecture.They shared specific know-how regarding initiatives to develop foreign talent across the entire region and connect them with businesses. Next, Kensuke Takamura, Section Chief at the Industrial Support Bureau of the Ehime Prefecture Department of Economy and Labor; Miyuki Yamanaka, Executive Director of the Ehime Prefecture International Exchange Association (a public interest incorporated foundation); and representatives from the Ehime Prefecture Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry \/Matsuyama Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Mr. Kazuyuki Uchida of Justin Co., Ltd.; and Ms. Lu Wang, Manager of the Global Recruitment Team at Ability Center Co., Ltd., presented on \u201cInitiatives to Promote the Active Participation and Retention of Highly Skilled Foreign Professionals.\u201d They highlighted the diversity and achievements of community-based activities, as well as their respective perspectives on supporting foreign professionals from their unique positions.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the plenary discussion that followed these activity reports and case studies, participants split into groups to discuss initiatives, challenges, and questions regarding the development and retention of highly skilled foreign talent from their respective perspectives. At the same time, a panel discussion was held while questions regarding the first half of the session\u2014which had been collected via a form and analyzed using AI\u2014were addressed, leading to a lively exchange of opinions across various fields.Sharing perspectives from diverse viewpoints deepened our understanding of the current situation and led to new insights.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The post-event survey revealed that the initiatives in Ehime and Hyogo highlighted the importance of collaboration among industry, government, academia, and the community. It also showed that participants strongly shared a common understanding of the fundamental challenges in supporting retention, such as creating an environment that prevents isolation and clearly outlining career paths.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moving forward, the Office for the Promotion of Employment Programs for International Students will continue to promote the development of global talent, provide career support, and encourage the active participation of foreign nationals, with the aim of realizing a multicultural society.<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ehime-u.ac.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/&#x4EC1;&#x79D1;&#x5B66;&#x9577;&#x958B;&#x4F1A;&#x6328;&#x62F6;-scaled.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-id=\"386633\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ehime-u.ac.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/&#x4EC1;&#x79D1;&#x5B66;&#x9577;&#x958B;&#x4F1A;&#x6328;&#x62F6;-1024x716.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-386633\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Opening Remarks by President Nishina<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ehime-u.ac.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/&#x30D1;&#x30CD;&#x30EB;&#x30C7;&#x30A3;&#x30B9;&#x30AB;&#x30C3;&#x30B7;&#x30E7;&#x30F3;-scaled.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-id=\"386643\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ehime-u.ac.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/&#x30D1;&#x30CD;&#x30EB;&#x30C7;&#x30A3;&#x30B9;&#x30AB;&#x30C3;&#x30B7;&#x30E7;&#x30F3;-1024x783.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-386643\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Panel Discussion<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ehime-u.ac.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ousseini-Faridah&#x3055;&#x3093;&#x3001;&#x5C71;&#x8D8A;&#x82B1;&#x68A8;&#x3055;&#x3093;&#x306E;&#x30A4;&#x30F3;&#x30BF;&#x30FC;&#x30F3;&#x30B7;&#x30C3;&#x30D7;&#x5831;&#x544A;-scaled.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-id=\"386638\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ehime-u.ac.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ousseini-Faridah&#x3055;&#x3093;&#x3001;&#x5C71;&#x8D8A;&#x82B1;&#x68A8;&#x3055;&#x3093;&#x306E;&#x30A4;&#x30F3;&#x30BF;&#x30FC;&#x30F3;&#x30B7;&#x30C3;&#x30D7;&#x5831;&#x544A;-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-386638\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Student Internship Reports<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right wp-block-paragraph\"><institute for=\"\" international=\"\" relations=\"\" office=\"\" student=\"\" employment=\"\" promotion=\"\"><\/institute><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On Tuesday, February 24, Reiwa 8, Ehime University held the Reiwa 7 Symposium for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology\u2019s \u201cProgram to Promote Employment for International Students\u201d at our Johoku Campus. A total of 97 participants\u201422 in person and 75 online\u2014from local governments, economic organizations, companies, universities, and other educational institutions attended, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":605,"featured_media":386628,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[629,630,633],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-408351","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","category-international-cooperation","category-organization-for-the-promotion-of-international-collaboration"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-10-23 18:15:59","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category"},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ehime-u.ac.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408351","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ehime-u.ac.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ehime-u.ac.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ehime-u.ac.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/605"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ehime-u.ac.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=408351"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ehime-u.ac.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408351\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":408352,"href":"https:\/\/www.ehime-u.ac.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408351\/revisions\/408352"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ehime-u.ac.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/386628"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ehime-u.ac.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=408351"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ehime-u.ac.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=408351"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ehime-u.ac.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=408351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}