Amin Abbas

ABU DHABI: The 17th edition of Najah Abu Dhabi was held at the National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) from Oct. 29 to 31, with the participation of both local and Japanese universities and institutes.

Representatives from leading Japanese universities visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in efforts to enroll some of the brightest high school and university graduate students to continue their education in Japan.

The event attracted about 4,000 visitors, and the participating institutions were satisfied with its success.

The promotional drive was spearheaded by JICE (Japan International Cooperation Center), which has the goal of encouraging Emirati students to develop their academic acumen in Japan. The company hosted the Japan pavilion at NAJAH.

“Honored to be led by Akio Isomata, Ambassador of Japan to the UAE, I would like to convey my gratitude to Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, for visiting the Japan pavilion to support our effort to strengthen the bilateral relationship between the UAE and Japan in the education field,” Tokuya Kanamori, General Manager, JICE Abu Dhabi Office, told Arab News Japan.

“The majority of the visitors to the Japan pavilion were considering Japan as (a way) to further their education, and I am happy that we were able to introduce some of the best universities from Japan at NAJAH Abu Dhabi 2023. Although many undergraduate and graduate programs are taught in English in Japan, many students who visited the Japan Pavilion told us that they are willing to study the Japanese language. We all hope more and more students become more interested in studying in Japan,” he added. 

Regarding JICE upcoming projects and activities following their participation at Najah, Kanamori said, “After NAJAH, on November 1, we visited Khalifa University (KU) with representatives from the universities who participated at NAJAH and exchanged opinions with university officials at KU. We agreed to further develop our collaboration efforts, and JICE will extend support to KU.”

Prospective students and their families were able to meet with representatives from prestigious Japanese educational institutions in person, which connected the students directly to the representatives in Japan.

Mr. Abdulsamad Mohamed Bawazeer, a graduate in Chemical Engineering from Tokai University in Japan, joined the pavilion to share his insights and experiences to prospective students and their families, drawing from his own journey in Japan.

“I’m honored to be a part of the Japan Pavilion. It presents an incredible opportunity for me to serve as an ambassador to the next generation, recalling the time when I was once in their shoes, seeking the best path for my education among the multitude of outstanding universities worldwide,” Bawazeer said.

“My fascination with Japan began during my high school years at the Institute of Applied Technology in the UAE, where I had the chance to study the Japanese language. As part of these courses, I was fortunate to embark on two eye-opening trips to Japan, one to Tokyo and the other to Kyoto. These experiences, coupled with my exposure to the Japanese language and culture, deeply influenced me. After careful consideration, I consulted my parents, both of whom wholeheartedly supported my decision to study in Japan,” he added.

Khaoula Bensaida, Research Fellow of the Global Strategies Office at Kyushu University, commented on the pavilion, saying, “It was great to meet students and their families and hear their expectations and concerns in person. Learning Japanese can be tough; however, I am pleasantly surprised that many students are willing to take the challenge to acquire proficiency in 1-2 years before entering the undergraduate program.”

“Kyushu University offers several undergraduate engineering degree programs in English. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that there were many students who were eager to learn Japanese. We offer Japanese lessons for those students who wish to learn the language,” she added.