We Are Tomodachi Japan and Russia Edition 2018

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10In January 2018, at the “Kanazawa University Kick-off Symposium for MEXT ‘Inter-University Exchange Project’–‘Training Program for Russia-Japan Innovative Leaders of Tomorrow,’” a memorandum for cooperation on the Double Diploma Program was exchanged between Kazan Federal University and Kanazawa University. (From the left are KFU Vice-Rector Dmitry Tayursky and Rector Ilshat Gafurov, and Kanazawa University President Koetsu Yamazaki and Vice President Yoshio Otani).Over the last 30 years, Kanazawa University in Ishikawa Prefecture has developed a relationship with the prestigious Kazan Federal University (KFU) in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. Exchange began in 1988 when Dr. Haruhiko Suzuki, Professor of Kanazawa University, began sharing his research in low temperature physics with counterparts at KFU. Low temperature physics is the field of science dealing with the property of materials in environments where temperatures approach absolute zero. Ten years later in 1998, the universities signed an agreement to engage in joint research projects and to facilitate exchanges of students, a commitment to collaboration that continues today.Japan and Russia lead the world in low temperature physics research, and Kanazawa University and KFU have combined their respective strengths in cooperative research activities. Kanazawa University carries out experiments, while KFU grows crystal samples and works on the theoretical underpinnings and implications of these experiments, making for an active exchange of researchers and ideas. Scholars from the two universities jointly publish academic articles and make presentations together at international conferences.Students also benefit from the support of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT). According to Dr. Aida Mammadova, Associate Professor of Kanazawa University Organization of Global Affairs, “The Republic of Tatarstan has evolved uniquely, with diverse cultures and ethnic groups blending together. Japanese students thus find their time at KFU an invaluable and eye-opening cross-cultural experience. Students from Russia, on the other hand, are very eager to visit Japan, and they find living in the country and encountering Japanese culture firsthand quite stimulating. The programs create a beneficial situation for all involved.”University Collaboration Shaping the Future