2026-07-07

The National University of Kaohsiung (NUK) is strengthening Taiwan–Japan collaboration in partnership with the Kaohsiung City Government. Led by President Chi-Ren Chen, an NUK delegation recently visited Kumamoto, Japan, where the university, Kumamoto University, and local government representatives jointly proposed establishing the Kaohsiung–Kumamoto Twin Cities Forum. The initiative aims to expand existing university partnerships into broader cooperation encompassing education, technology, industry, and urban development, creating a forward-looking framework for Taiwan–Japan collaboration.

The delegation visited Kumamoto from June 28 to July 1 and included Vice President Hsing-Hao Wu, Dean of International Affairs Hsing-Ju Lin, and Library Director Cheng-Hung Wang. Representatives from the Kaohsiung City Government's Administrative and International Affairs Bureau and Department of Education also joined the delegation, demonstrating a new model of international engagement that brings together universities and local governments.

President Chen noted that higher education today has responsibilities beyond talent cultivation. Universities should also serve as bridges connecting local communities, industries, and international partners. In recent years, NUK has continued to expand its global partnerships with the goal of integrating educational, municipal, and industrial resources, transforming traditional inter-university exchanges into broader cross-sector collaboration capable of addressing global challenges in talent development, technological innovation, and sustainable governance.

The visit also built upon the foundation established during the Kumamoto City Board of Education's visit to NUK in May, when both sides initiated discussions on educational cooperation, talent development, and urban development. The recent visit further expanded these conversations into new areas of collaboration.

A major focus of the exchange was educational technology. Through the Ministry of Education's Immersive Technology Literacy-Oriented Project, Professor Cheng-Hung Wang and his team have independently developed the EWova Immersive Education Platform, which integrates virtual reality (VR) and AI-powered real-time translation to support international collaborative learning and digital education.

Working together with the Kaohsiung City Department of Education, the Kumamoto City Board of Education, and elementary and secondary schools in both Taiwan and Japan, the platform enables students to explore local cultures in Qishan, Kaohsiung, and Kumamoto through immersive learning experiences. The initiative helps students develop cross-cultural understanding, digital literacy, and global perspectives while providing a practical example of Taiwan–Japan educational cooperation.

During the visit, the delegation toured the Kumamoto ICT Education Center and Kumamoto Municipal Johoku Elementary School to learn about Japan's implementation of smart campus technologies and digital learning. They also met with Hiroyuki Endo, Superintendent of the Kumamoto City Board of Education, and representatives of Hiyukan High School to exchange views on smart education, international student recruitment, faculty development, and academic exchange.

NUK and Kumamoto University also reviewed the achievements of their long-standing sister university partnership and jointly began planning the 2027 Kaohsiung–Kumamoto Twin Cities Forum.

The forum is expected to bring together representatives from Kaohsiung City, Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture, as well as leaders from academia, industry, and government. Key discussion themes will include semiconductor and high-tech industries, artificial intelligence, disaster resilience, and sustainable urban governance. Through the forum, both universities hope to serve as bridges for interdisciplinary collaboration, facilitating knowledge exchange, talent development, and the sharing of urban governance experience while establishing a new model for local cooperation between Taiwan and Japan.

The delegation also met with Kumamoto Deputy Mayor Yoshikazu Okada and officials from the Kumamoto Prefecture International Affairs and Kumamon Promotion Bureau to discuss the forum and future collaborative opportunities.

Both sides expressed their aspiration to build upon the partnership between two universities and two cities, gradually expanding cooperation across education, culture, technology, and industry. Their long-term vision is to transform the relationship between Kaohsiung and Kumamoto from one of sister universities into one of comprehensive city partnerships, creating new momentum for regional collaboration between Taiwan and Japan.

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