His Excellency Dr Makio Miyagawa, Ambassador of Japan to Malaysia shared his insights today in UTM Kuala Lumpur in front of 600 participants consisting of representatives from the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, MNCs, GLCs, Japanese companies, lecturers, staff and students of MJIIT. The lecture was part of the flagship MJIIT Leadership Lecture Series.

The topic shared was “Japan with ASEAN and Malaysia: Looking Back on 50 Years of Japan ASEAN & 60 Years of Japan Malaysia Relationship and the Way Forward” that centred around the 60 year diplomatic relationship between Japan and Malaysia, the culmination of which, for UTM, led to the formation of the Malaysia-Japan Relationship under the Look East Policy.

Dr Miyagwa also talked about the dynamic development of bilateral ties between the two countries, one that started with in the troubled times of war, but blossomed into a great friendship and partnership in the modern era. These ties were made more impactful with the collaboration between MJIIT and 29 Japanese universities of the Japanese University Consortium to support the development and progress of MJIIT in capacity building, talent and professional development of staff and students in academic and research activities. 

The Ambassador ended by reiterating the importance of friendship and collaboration and the way ahead for both countries.

The Leadership Lecture Series is a platform for speakers to share their wealth of insights and experience with an appreciative audience and to offer them a better understanding of the social, cultural, global and environment responsibilities of a professional engineer. The series also offers more insights into the needs for sustainable development and managerial and entrepreneurial skills, and as such, should not be missed!