The 2024 Osaka University and Nagasaki University Faculty and Students Visiting China Program, organized by the Center for Japanese Studies and the School of Foreign Languages of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, started on September 23, 2024 officially. The program, supported by Shanghai Jiao Tong University, was hosted by the Shanghai People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the friendship city between Shanghai and Osaka and the 45th anniversary of the opening of the Shanghai-Nagasaki air route.

In the afternoon of September 23, faculty and students from Osaka University and Nagasaki University arrived at Shanghai Pudong Airport and were warmly welcomed by faculty and students from Shanghai Jiao Tong University. At 17:00, the delegation arrived at the Banquet Hall of the Academic Activity Center of the Minhang Campus to attend the welcome dinner.

Ji Weidong, Senior Professor of Liberal Arts and Director of the Center for Japanese Studies of SJTU, Zhu Yifan, Deputy Director of the Division of Global Cooperation and Exchange of SJTU, Ding Jian, Secretary of the Party Committee of the School of Foreign Languages of SJTU and Deputy Director of the Center for Japanese Studies of SJTU, Tao Qing, Vice Dean of the School of Foreign Languages of SJTU, Cai Yuping, Vice Director of the Center for Japanese Studies of SJTU, and Jin Wenfeng, Head of the Japanese Department of the School of Foreign Languages of SJTU, and other SJTU leaders and faculty representatives attended the dinner. Mr Li Siqi, a teacher from the Japanese Department of the SFL, hosted the dinner.  

Ji Weidong delivered the opening speech. He reviewed the long history of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, especially the affinity and deep friendship with Osaka University and Nagasaki University, and shared many successful cases of academic cooperation. He called on Chinese and Japanese teachers and students to work together to deepen their understanding and friendship and promote further exchanges and cooperation between the two countries.

In her speech, Zhu Yifan emphasized that exchanges between Chinese and Japanese youths need to focus on both academic exchanges and cooperation as well as cultural exchanges. She  encouraged Japanese teachers and students to actively embrace cultural exchanges between the two countries with an open mind and put forward good expectations for the construction of the China-Japan Friendship Bridge.

Yuichi Ogou, Director of the East Asian Academic Research Center of Osaka University, and Tomoko Kiyota, Associate Professor of Nagasaki University's International Educational Cooperation Organization, who led the delegation, delivered opening speeches respectively on behalf of their respective schools. The two leaders expressed their sincere hope for the friendly relation between China and Japan as well as synergistic development between the cities of China and Japan and wished for a complete success of the exchange activities.

After the opening speeches, the welcome dinner officially began.

Towards the end of the welcome dinner, Mr. Ding Jian made a concluding speech, in which he recalled his more than ten years' experience of studying and working in Kyushu, Japan, and emphasized the importance of deepening the friendly relationship between China and Japan. He encouraged the Japanese teachers and students to fully experience the changes in Chinese society and the friendliness of the Chinese people in the next few days, and looked forward to hearing the real feelings of Japanese youth about China at the end of the program.

The welcome dinner was successfully concluded with warm applause from the audience. The five-day visit of the delegation to China officially began.

From September 24th to 26th, the delegation conducted a study tour of Shanghai, including visiting the Minhang Campus of SJTU. On the morning of September 24, the delegation visited the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall to explore the history and future planning of the urban development of Shanghai, an international metropolis. 

 In the afternoon of September 24, the delegation arrived at the History Museum of SJTU at Minhang Campus to learn more about the history of the founding of SJTU.

 In the morning of September 25, the delegation went to the demonstration site of new rural construction in Qingpu Modern Agricultural Park to experience the “new” development of Chinese agricultural technology. 

In the afternoon of September 25, the delegation went to the Soong Ching Ling Memorial Hall to learn about the history of friendly exchange between Ms. Soong Ching Ling's and Japan.

The delegation also visited the Shanghai World Expo Museum to learn about the whole process of Shanghai's hosting of the World Expo 2010. In the evening, the delegation took a cruise to visit the night scenery on both sides of the Huangpu River, enjoying the beauty and vitality of Shanghai at night.

In the morning of September 26, the delegation visited Shanghai Pudong Urban Planning and Public Art Center and Li Zhengdao Research Institute at Zhangjiang to feel the scientific and technological achievements made by Shanghai and China.

In the afternoon of September 26th, the Reporting Meeting of the delegation was held at Yang Yongman Building, School of Foreign Languages, Minhang Campus of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Fu Jihong, vice president of Shanghai People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Wang Houji, member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee of SJTU and president of the Overseas Friendship Association, Yamada Yoshiyoshi, director of the Shanghai Economic Office of Osaka Prefecture, and Onoue Takayoshi, deputy director of the Shanghai Economic Office of Nagasaki Prefecture, attended the meeting and delivered opening speeches. Ding Jian, Secretary of the Party Committee of School of Foreign Languages and Deputy Director of the Center for Japanese Studies of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, delivered the closing speech. Representatives of the visiting students shared the results of the visit at the meeting .

Before the start of the presentation, student representatives from the School of Foreign Languages and the School of Education of SJTU performed some folk music. 

Mr. Fu Jihong, Vice President of Shanghai People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (SPAFFC), pointed out that over the past year SPAFFC had recieved more than 500 Japanese youths. The foundation of friendship between China and Japan lies in the people, and the future of friendship between the two peoples lies in the youth. It was hoped that the young friends of China and Japan will make unremitting efforts to promote Sino-Japanese friendship.

Mr. Wang Houji, member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee of SJTU, said that SJTU has long had a close cooperative relationship with Japanese academia and industry. The delegation will not stay in China for long, but it was hoped that they will visit SJTU again in the future to further explore the charm of Shanghai and build a bridge of friendship between China and Japan. 

Masayoshi Yamada, Director of the Shanghai Economic Office of Osaka Prefecture, asked the Japanese students about their impressions of China. All the students showed a great improvement in their friendly impression of China. Yamada said that although he had been in China for just over 90 days, his impression of China had greatly improved and he now had a very good impression of China.

Takayoshi Onoue, Deputy Director of Nagasaki Prefecture's Shanghai Economic Office, expressed his hope that through the valuable experience the students would expand the depth of their lives. Nagasaki Prefecture has long had cultural exchanges with Shanghai, and it was expected that there will be more active exchanges, deep cooperation, and learning from each other's between Nagasaki and Shanghai in the future.

With PPT, the student representatives of the visiting delegation shared their experiences of the visit to China in small groups in English, expressing their love for China and their gratitude for the trip to China, gainning applause from the audience.

Tomoko Kiyota, Associate Professor of Nagasaki University's International Education Cooperation Organization, said that the trip lasted only a few days, but the spirit of Sino-Japanese friendship was condensed in those days. It was a period of happy and dreamy time, and the exchange with Chinese friends was quite delightful.

Ms. Shinohara Saori from International Exchange Section of Osaka University said that the trip to Shanghai had expanded her horizons and helped her discover a richer world. She hoped that the students of the delegation could put aside the limits of their vision and see the world with their own eyes, so as to enrich the thickness of their lives.

Mr. Ding Jian, Secretary of the Party Committee of the School of Foreign Languages and Deputy Director of the Center for Japanese Studies of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, pointed out that the visit to Shanghai, by learning about its culture and its style and feature, must have helped the Japanese friends gain a better understanding of Sino-Japanese friendship and exchanges, and a deeper understanding of the spirit of Sino-Japanese friendship. They were expected to actively promote Sino-Japanese friendship in the future and compose a poem of friendship together.

On September 27, 2024, the delegation left Shanghai by plane. Thus, the five-day exchange program to China from faculty and students of Osaka University and Nagasaki University ended successfully. Cai Yuping, Deputy Director of the Center for Japanese Studies at SJTU, accompanied the group throughout the whole tour. The 47 Japanese teachers and students expressed their gratitude to SJTU for the warm and thoughtful arrangements.

By leading the Japanese teachers and students to experience Chinese culture and life, this program aims to strengthen the exchange and mutual understanding between China and Japan, enhances the mutual understanding between the youth of the two countries, develops the long-lasting friendship, and makes a positive contribution to the creation of a better tomorrow for the relationship between the two countries.

Editor on Duty: Tao Qingxiao