ABEST21 e-News

No.125, January-March 2024
ABEST21 International

THE ALLIANCE ON BUSINESS EDUCATION AND SCHOLARSHIP FOR TOMORROW,
a 21st century organization

URL: www.abest21.org TEL.+81-3-3498-6220 E-Mail: abest21international@abest21.org
Editor: Fumio ITOH

eNews No.125: Contents＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

I. ABEST21 General Information･････････････････････････････････････････････ 1
II. “Assessing Today for Tomorrow” ･････････････････････････････････････････ 5
III. “Assuring Quality for Tomorrow” ･････････････････････････････････････････ 7
IV. ABEST21 Global Knowledge Network･･･････････････････････････････････････ 8
V. ABEST21 History vol.2 ･････････････････････････････････････････････････････ 16

I. ABEST21 General Information＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

1. ABEST21 International Office Report
January
・11th: Conducting the online Accreditation Seminar I on “SCR(AAAS)”
・16th: Holding the Accreditation Committee 2024
・18th: Conducting the online Accreditation Seminar I on “SCR(APAS)”・23rd: Conducting the online Accreditation Seminar I on “KZR(APAS)”
February
・07th : Holding the ABEST21 International Audit Meeting 2024
・21th : Holding the ABEST21 International Board of Trustees 2024
March・18th : Holding ABEST21 International Annual Meeting, Tokyo, Japan
・19th : Conducting the ABEST21 International Tsukuba Study Tour, Ibaragi, Japan・29th : Reporting on the Accreditation Results 2023 to MEXT

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2. Holding the ABEST21 International Audit meeting 2024
On Wednesday, February 7, 2024, ABEST21
International Financial Audit Meeting 2024 washeld in person and online. Firstly, the materials
including “the Statement of Revenue andExpenditure 2023” and “the Balance Sheet2023” for the period from Jaunary 1, 2023 to
December 31, 2022 were confirmed by
ABEST21 Audit Dr. Hua Xu at the ABEST21
office. Then, as a result of the audit held, theonline ABEST21 Audit Meeting was held and theauditors confirmed that the current fiscal report showed the settlement of accounts for the said
period properly.
The ABEST21 Auditing Commitee includes three auditors:Professor Dr. Hua Xu
Graduate School of Business Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Tsukuba,JapanProfessor Gagaring Pagalung, Ph.D.
Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Hasanuddin, Indonesia
Professor Nor’Azam Matsuki, Ph.D.
Arshad Ayub Graduate Business School, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia
ABEST21 International Statement of Revenue and Expenditure (January 1, 2023 – December 31,2023) in the Annual Report 2024 is available to the public:
ABEST21 International Annual Report 2024 URL: https://www.abest21.org/about/report/

3. Holding the ABEST21 International Board of Trustees 2024
On Wednesday, February 21, 2024, theABEST21 International Board of Trustees 2024
was held online. Based on the materials provided
in advance, and following the detailed
explanation by ABEST21 International President
and the exchange of opinions, the ABEST21
International Financial Statement FY2023, theABEST21 International Budget for FY2024, andother materials were discussed. The members
were also informed about the ABEST21 International Business Accompilshment 2023, the ABEST21
International Accreditation March 2024, and the ABEST21 KAIZEN Awards 2023. All items were
accepted. At the end of the meeting, they exchanged their opinions how to celebrate the 20th
Anniversary of ABEST21 International in 2025 because, ABEST21 International will mark two
decades of fostering quality business and management education across Japan and Asia in 2025.
For the latest updates, please visit the ABEST21 International website.

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4. New Deans
Dean Professor Takamichi HOSODA, Ph.D.
Graduate School of International Management, Aoyama Gakuin University
Dear ABEST21 members,
I am Professor Takamichi Hosoda, Dean and Head of
Graduate School of International Management, Aoyama
Gakuin University as of 1st of March 2024. Our school is also
known as ABS (Aoyama Business School). I would like to takethis opportunity to introduce the school.
The core of our school’s mission is to foster students ascreative leaders who fulfil their social responsibility and serve
as global citizens, and to develop a prosperous future throughour leading research activities. In our efforts to consolidate
the position among the many business schools in the world,
our MBA programme is accredited by not only ABEST21 but also EFMD (European Foundation forManagement Development) Global.
Our unique curriculum, culture, history, and location in Aoyama, Tokyo - the world’s trendiest city combine to provide a learning experience that will have a profound impact on students. During thefirst year, students will (re)learn foundations in the compulsory modules across nine fields, while inthe second half of the first year and into the second year, students will develop their specialised andpractical skills in elective modules. A wide range of elective modules are available, from those
focusing on important domestic issues to those incorporating international learning experiences. It
also features endowed elective modules by leading companies. Finally, students will culminate theirlearning in the Aoyama Action Learning (AAL). The main feature of our programme is that students
will be able to experience their own personal change through the trinity of the compulsory, elective
and AAL modules at the end of the programme.
Our global academic network is steadily expanding, which facilitates the international learning
experience for our students. We also continue to focus on SDGs/ESG-related research and education
to support not only our students, but also for alumni, local businesses, and society. Through ourshared cooperation, we strive to enhance the student practical learning experience.
We are looking forward to your visit and to discussing future reciprocal initiatives.
More about Dean Hosoda

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Noorshella Che Nawi
Malaysian Graduate School of Entrepreneurship and Business, University
Malaysia Kelantan
Noorshella Che Nawi, an Associate Professor at the Faculty of
Entrepreneurship and Business (FKP) at Universiti Malaysia
Kelantan (UMK), holds a bachelor's degree in Information
Technology from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). She
pursued her Master's degree in Total Quality Management andProductivity Improvement at the same university before
completing her doctoral studies in Management Information
Systems at Victoria University, Melbourne. With a prolificrecord of publications in esteemed journals indexed in Scopus
3and Web of Science, Noorshella is deeply committed to impactful research, having secured over 30
grants from both international and national sources. Presently, she leads significant projects such as
ERASMUS+ CBHE ANGEL, oversees the Asia Pacific Women's Information Network Center Project
supported by the Korean government, and spearheads the Matching grant between UMK-Oman.
Recognized for her research excellence, she has been appointed as Director of the Global
Entrepreneurship, Research, and Innovation Centre (GERIC). In her current role as Deputy Dean of(Academic) at the Malaysian Graduate School of Entrepreneurship and Business (MGSEB), Noorshella
is dedicated to elevating MGSEB into a world-class institution for entrepreneurship and businesseducation in Malaysia. Her focus is on nurturing the next generation of entrepreneurs, managers,
and corporate leaders, instilling in them the mindset to innovate, transform, and excel in theirorganizations. Additionally, she holds membership in the Chartered Management Institute (CMI)(UK) and serves as a Research Fellow for two UMK Centers of Excellence: GERIC and Angkasa-UMK
Research Academy (AURA).

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II. “Assessing Today for Tomorrow”＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

1. Holding the ABEST21 Accreditation Committee 2024
Following the recommendation from the Peer Review
Committee on accreditation results, the Accreditation
Committee (AC) 2024 was held online on January 16,2024. Based on the materials provided in advance, theACdiscussedtheAccreditation
Results
Recommendation 2024, and the nomination for the
KAIZEN Award and other AC were recommended tothe online ABEST21 International Board of Trustees
held on February 21, 2024.

2. Schools accredited in March 2024
The ABEST21 International Board of Trustees meeting 2024 held on February 21, 2024 accepted
the schools to be accredited after reviewing the recommendation by the Accreditation Committee.
The accredited schools in March 2024 are listed below.
・Department of International Management, Graduate School of International Management,
Aoyama Gakuin University, Tokyo, Japan・School of International Corporate Strategy, Hitotsubashi University Business School,
Hitotsubashi University, Tokyo, Japan・Master of Business Administration Program in International Business, Graduate School of Business
Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tokyo, Japan・Bachelor of Management Program, Faculty of Economics and Business, Perbanas Institute, Jakarta,
Indonesia
・Bachelor of Accounting Program, Faculty of Economics and Business, Perbanas Institute, Jakarta,
Indonesia
・Bachelor of Business Administration (Human Resource management) with Honours Program,
Faculty of Management and Economics, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Perak, Malaysia

3. Holding the ABEST21 Online Accreditation Seminar I for 2024
In January, the Accreditation Seminars I for Accreditation 2024 were conducted online. Theseseminars were designed to assist applicant schools and faculties in their report preparation. The
primary focus was to provide clarity on the objectives of each stage (PAA, QIS, SCR, KZR) within the
ABEST21 International Accreditation process. Additionally, participants gained a deeper
understanding of the critical elements required for furnishing each report.

51) The online Accreditation Seminar I for SCR (AAAS) 2024
The Accreditation Seminar I for SCR under
ABEST21 Academic Unit Based-Accreditation Systemwere held on January 11th (AAAS). After introduction
about ABEST21 Accreditation Process by Professor
Emeritus Dr. Fumio ITOH, President and CEO of
ABEST21 International, Professor Ming-Yu Cheng,
Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia explained
about the objectives of the Self-Check/SelfEvaluation Report and matter to be noted in theirwriting their report under ABEST21 Academic Unit-based Accreditation System (AAAS). After that,peer review schedule, matter to be noted on submitting their SCR were presented by ABEST21 Office.
The seminar was ended by active Q&A.

2) The online Accreditation Seminar I for SCR(APAS) 2024
The Accreditation Seminar I for SCR under ABST21
Program-based Accreditation System were held on
January 18th (APAS). After introduction on the
ABEST21 Accreditation Process by Professor
Emeritus Dr. Fumio ITOH, President of ABEST21
International, Assistant professor Dr. Hen Kai Wah,
Tungai University, explained the objective of SelfCheck/Self-Evaluation report, how the report isreviewed by the Peer Review Team with Desk Review
and online Peer Review Visit, and issues to be notedon preparation of the report. Then ABEST21 President Fumi ITOH presented further details of the
SCR analysis according to the criteria necessary to conduct SCR. After that, Peer Review Schedule,
clerical matters to be noted on submitting SCR such as format and check list were presented by the
ABEST21 Accreditation Office. The presentations were followed by the Q&A session.

3) The online Accreditation Seminar I for KZR（APAS）2024
On January 23, 2024, an accreditation seminar
aimed to share detailed and updated information
about the KAIZEN Report 2024 was held online.
ABEST21 International requests all accredited
Schools to submit their annual progress report,
known as the KAIZEN Report, during the third year
after receiving accreditation. The KAIZEN Reportshows how well the Action Plans outlined in the analysis at the last accreditation were performed toenhance the quality of management education according to the planned schedule. Professor
Emeritus Dr. Fumio ITOH, President and CEO of ABEST21 International provided an explanation
about our accreditation system and the purpose of the KAIZEN Report at the 1st session. During the
2nd session, Professor Dr. Yudi Fernando delivered a presentation on the preparation of the KAIZEN
Report, offering insightful suggestions. ABEST21 International Office shared updated informationand schedule of the KAIZEN Report at the 3rd session.
6III. “Assuring Quality for Tomorrow”＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

1. ABEST21 KAIZEN Award in March, 2024
ABEST21 accredits schools in the full confidence that their Action Plans
to improve the KAIZEN issues found in the analysis of the plans toimprove the KAIZEN issues found in the analysis of the Self-Check/Self
Evaluation Report are promising. Since one of the aims of ABEST21
accreditation is to assure a substantial improvement of the educational
quality to the stakeholders, we need to check the progress of theaccredited schools on their Action Plans found in the analysis of the
SCR, and provide a status report to the stakeholders. If the School
performed all or most of the Action Plans and made an innovative
improvement in the quality of the management education, ABEST21
would like to recognize the school’s performance by giving it the“KAIZEN Award”. The Award is endowed based on the recommendation of the Accreditation
Committee. The online Board of Trustees meeting held on February 21, 2024 ratified the accredited
schools to be granted “KAIZEN Award”. Following this decision, ABEST21 KAIZEN Award plaque was
granted to the three accredited schools below:
・Department of Business Administration, Graduate School of Management,
Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan・Magister Manajemen Program, PPM School of Management, Jakarta, Indonesia
・Master of Management Program, School of Economics and Business, Universitas Telkom, Bandung,Indonesia
The KAIZEN Award Granting-ceremony was held on March 18th, 2024 at 12F of Souken building,
Aoyama Campus
We congratulate the schools on their achievement in continuous improvement.

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IV. ABEST21 Global Knowledge Network＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

1. ABEST21 International Annual Meeting 2024 in Tokyo

International Conference Room, Aoyama Gakuin University, Tokyo, Japan
12F Souken-building, Aoyama Gakuin University

ABEST21 International Annual Meeting 2024 was held on March 18 and 19, 2024 at 12F, Soukenbuilding, Aoyama Campus, Aoyama Gakuin University, Tokyo, Japan. The Annual meeting was heldin-person just like last year and about forty representatives from ABEST21 International school
members participated to the meeting. The program schedule of the conference is as follows;
Day 1: Monday, March 18
ABEST21 International Annual Meeting 2024
Opening Remarks
Professor Emeritus Dr. Fumio ITOH
President and CEO ABEST21 International
ABEST21 International President delivered opening
remarks and explained about concept of the ABEST21
International Accreditation and main agenda of Annual
Meeting 2024.

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Welcome Message
Vice President Professor Tatsuya UCHIDA, Ph.D.
Aoyama Gakuin University, Japan
Vice President Professor Tatsuya UCHIDA, Ph.D.
delivered a welcome message to our members and madeintroduction of Aoyama Gakuin University.

ABEST21 International Annual Report 2024
Firstly, ABEST21 Business Accomplishment 2023, Accreditation Certificate
and KAIZEN Award March 2024 were reported. And then, the Financial
Statement FY2023 and Budget for FY22024 were explained.
After mutual discussion, all items of discussion were approved.

Granting the New School Membership Certificate
ABEST21 International School Membership Certificategranting Ceremony was held.
Acting Deputy Rector Dr. Sherizod Khannaev, Banking
and Finance Academy of the Republic of Uzbekistan, theRepublic of Uzbekistan, that had joined us last August
received the certificate there.

Introduction of ABEST21 International Accreditation history
President and CEO Professor Emeritus Dr. Fumio ITOH
ABEST21 International
President Itoh introduced history of the ABEST21
Accreditation began in 2007. The ABEST21 International
was approved as an accrediting organization forProfessional Graduate School of Business in Japan on
October 2007 and Intellectual Property on October 2011by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science andTechnology of Japan. During past seventeen years, we
accredited 104 management programs of School members
in Asia-Pacific.

9Granting the ABEST21 International Accreditation Certificate March 2024

Following schools received the Accreditation in March, 2024.
・Department of International Management, Graduate School of International Management,
Aoyama Gakuin University, Japan・School of International Corporate Strategy, Hitotsubashi University Business School,
Hitotsubashi University, Japan
・MBA Program in International Business, Graduate School of Business Sciences, Humanities andSocial Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tokyo, Japan・Bachelor of Management Program, Faculty of Economics and Business, Perbanas Institute Jakarta,
Indonesia
・Bachelor of Accounting Program, Faculty of Economics and Business, Perbanas Institute Jakarta,
Indonesia
・Bachelor of Business Administration (Human Resource Management) with Honours Faculty ofManagement and Economics, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Perak, Malaysia
ABEST21 International President Dr. Fumio ITOH granted the Accreditation Certificates torepresentative of the accredited schools there.

10Granting the KAIZEN Award
Following schools received the KAIZEN Award in 2024.
・Department of Business Administration, Graduate School ofManagement, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan・Magister Manajemen Program, PPM School of Management,
Jakarta, Indonesia
・Master of Management Program, School of Economics andBusiness, Universitas Telkom, Bandung, Indonesia
ABEST21 President granted the crystal trophy for the
KAIZEN AWARD to the representative of Universitas Telkom
there as one of the winning schools.
At the end, Banking and Finance Academy of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Republic of Uzbekistan
as our new school member, Deans of the accredited schools and KAIZEN Award winner schools madeschool presentations.
Closing Remarks
Senior Vice President Professor Dr. Abdolali Khatibi
Management & Science University, Malaysia

Day 2: Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Tsukuba Study Tour (Optional Tour)JICA Tsukuba Center11

On fortunate day on March 19th, 2024, the Tsukuba Study Tour was held. With the cooperation of
the Japan International Corporate Agency (JICA), we visited the JICA Training Center and gained
various insights there. Also, we visited the JAXA Tsukuba Space Center (Tsukuba Center of Japan
Aerospace Exploration Agency).
Visit to JICA Tsukuba Center
Visit the Tsukuba City’s Start-up ParkAt the beginning of the study tour, we visited
Tsukuba Start-up Park run by Tsukuba City andbeing outsourcing to Tsukuba Kenkyu SHI-EN
Center. INC. (TCI). Mr. Kazunori OTSUKA, Chief,Startups & SME Support Dept of TCI explained
about 1. The Overview of the Start-up Park, 2.
Tsukuba City and TCI’s incubation initiatives,then went around their incubation facilities. He
explained that The presence of these kinds ofsupport system for star-up business as well asuniversity students, including universities likethe University of Tsukuba, contributes to a large
student population and a predominantly young
age group in Tsukuba City. As a result of thesefactors, Tsukuba City is a vibrant area with ayouthful demographic.
The participants seemed to be interested insupport systems especially related to funding,compared to the support systems for their own
country’s start-up companies.
Visit the JICA Tsukuba Center
At the beginning of the session,
ABEST21 President Professor Emeritus
Dr. ITOH Fumio expressed his
gratitude to JICA, which provided thisvaluable opportunity.
The lecture started with the Welcome
address and general explanation of
JICA Tsukuba by Mr. TAKAHASHI Ryo,
Director the Tsukuba Training Center.
The
participants
weredeeplyimpressed by the 70-year history of
JICA’s extensive ODA activities.

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Then, Mr. HATANO Makoto, thePlanning Officer in the Collaboration
Promotion Section of the JICA
Tsukuba gave the explanation of theAgriculture Co-creation Hub in JICA as
well as training programs in various
fields such as agriculture andadvanced
technology
includinggrassroots technical cooperation,
collaboration with Japan’s private sector, and so on. At the end of this session, Dean Professor Dr. Ir.
Noer Azam Aschani as a representative of the participants, expressed gratitude to JICA and shared
their experience of an extended stay at in the Tsukuba city. He also mentioned their desire to takethe insights gained during this study tour back to their home country and introduce their students
in lectures and other contexts.
After the lectures, many participants visited their practical facilities and after that enjoyed ethnic
food lunch at the restaurant in JICA Tsukuba, “NERICA”.
Visit to JAXA Tsukuba Space Center(Tsukuba Center of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency)
Left JICA Tsukuba Center for JAXA TsukubaSpace Center, about 20 minutes away by bus.
After passing by the strict security, the tour
started with the introduction video about
JAXA Tsukuba Space Center. After watching
the video, we visited the Astronauts Training
Center, where the astronauts’ selection,
training and health management as well as
the space medical research are conducted forlong-term stays in space. After that, wevisited “KIBO” mission control center. “KIBO”
is the Japanese Experiment Module in ISS(InternationalSpace
Station).
Whilemaintaining the condition of KIBO, they are conducting experimental operations and supporting
astronauts 24 hours a day. They also constantly monitor the space station, remotely operate theexperimental equipment and communicate with the astronauts in the control center.

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“Furoshiki”
As a memento of the participants to the Annual Meeting 2024,“Furoshiki” were handed out to each participant. The“Furoshiki” was printed with the beautiful picture of “The Great
Wave off Kanagawa” from “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji” by
Katsushika Hokusai. Hokusai is a famous Japanese ukiyo-e artistof the Edo period. The history and how to utilize “Furoshiki”
were explained to the participants of the Tsukuba Tour in Day2.
“Furoshiki” was featured in the article of The New York Times
as of November 17, 2023 as the item drawing attention as "GiftWrapping That Doesn't Create Waste". Being washable andreusable, it is good for the environment, and attracting renewed
attention from the perspective of the SDGs. We hope every
participant could enjoy the Japanese culture through the“Furoshiki”.
============================================================“STUDENT’S NOTE”

Tsukuba Study Tour

Akane Fujisaki
Aoyama Gakuin University

Visit to the Tsukuba Startup Park and the JICA Tsukuba
We left the Shinagawa Prince Hotel in themorning and took a bus for an hour and a half to
Tsukuba City in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Firstly,
we visited the Tsukuba Startup Park, where Mr.
Otsuka, Chief of the Venture Industry Support
Department of the Tsukuba Research Support
Centre, introduced the support system based on
industry-government-academia
collaboration.
During the explanation from Mr. Otsuka, we had alively exchange of views.
After the visiting Tsukuba Startup Park, we visit
to JICA Tsukuba. JICA (Japan International
Cooperation Agency) provides international cooperation to developing countries as the implementing
agency for Japan's Official Development Assistance (ODA). At JICA Tsukuba, we listened to valuable
stories about JICA Tsukuba's efforts to date, particularly with regard to agricultural co-creation. Dr.
Ir. Noer Azam of IPB University, who has a long stay in Tsukuba, expressed his gratitude to JICA
Tsukuba.
After the session, we visit to JICA Tsukuba’s practical facilities
farm. Ibaraki Prefecture, which boasts one of the highest
agricultural outputs in Japan, is home to individuals andorganizations with advanced skills and knowledge in various
stages of agriculture, from production to on-site distribution,
research institutions, etc. JICA Tsukuba utilizes these local
resources to meet the needs of developing countries andparticipating organizations, depending on the target, crop andissue.
14

After visiting the farm, we had lunch at the NERICA restaurant
in JICA Tsukuba. A wide variety of food from different countries
and regions was served, and each participant enjoyed his or her
favorite meal.

Visit to JAXA Tsukuba Space Center-Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
The Tsukuba Space Center is located in Tsukuba Science City
and was established in 1972. It is a comprehensive facility withstate-of-the-art testing facilities on a side of approximately
530,000 square meters, in a green environment suitable for a
research university city.
We participated in a guided tour of the Tsukuba Space Center.
The tour lasted approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes andconsisted of: 1. Screening of a film introducing the TsukubaSpace Center (10 minutes); 2. Tour of the Astronaut Training
Area (20 minutes); and 3. Tour of the Kibo Mission Contral Room
(20 minutes).
The Astronaut Training Building is the place whereastronauts are selected, trained, and health-cared for, andwhere space medicine research is carried out to preparethem for long stays in space. In this area, we saw panels
on space medicine research, experimental equipment anda 6° head-down bed rest that gives them the same feelingas if we were in space. We were also able to look throughglass at the closed environment and low-pressure
environment adaptation training facilities.
The Kibo Mission Control Room is where images and data from the ISS are constantly monitored,
experimental equipment is operated remotely, and astronauts are communicated with and given
instructions for their experiments. We were able to see it through the glass for a short time.

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V. ABEST21 history -Vol.2＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝Looking back at the past 18 years, the growth of ABEST21 International (formerly ABEST21) canbe attributed to its institutional approach towards international accreditation. Throughout thisperiod, ABEST21 has embraced the principles of “broad-mindedness” and “living in harmony”
recognizing and embracing the diversity of Asian values. ABEST21 is dedicated to developing a
distinctive sustainable development of Asia. In this series of articles, we will take a retrospective
look at the history of ABEST21.
Vol.2

ABEST21 News Letter No.1 issued
Since 2008, the ABEST21 News Letter has been a vital resource for enhancing the quality ofbusiness and management education and research in Japan and across Asia. Our mission is topromote excellence in these fields. Please remember, the ABEST21 e-News is more than just a
newsletter—it’s a platform for collaboration, learning, and growth
Topics in ABEST21 News Letter No.1
1. New member introduction
2. Establishment of an official Business Accreditation
Agency3. Set up of Accreditation Committee Japan Division
4. International symposium on Joint Research
Project 1- “MBA Education and Quality
Improvement System in Asian Countries”
5. Start of Joint Research Project 2 - “Comparative
Analysis on Company Needs for Management
Education in Business Schools in Asian-PacificCountries”
6. Start of Joint Research Project 3 - “Comparative
Analysis on Self-Evaluation in Management
Education based on ABEST21 Business Standards
in Asian-Pacific Region”
7. Establishment of ABEST21 Research Award
8. ABEST21 Seminar 2008

Start-up of Accreditation Activities (October 2007 - )ABEST21 stated its accreditation activities for Professional Graduate Schools, with business schools
in Japan. ABEST21 applied for and was approved by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport,
Science, and Technology (MEXT) as an accrediting organization for Professional Graduate School ofBusiness (Business Management, Management of Technology, Finance, and Business Information)
on of October 12, 2007.
Up to March 2015 ABEST21 has conducted initial/maintenance accreditation for 30 schools. In
March 2015, the first accreditation for Professional Graduate School of Management of Technology
was completed. The field of accreditation by ABEST21 was extended in October 2011 when it wascertified as an accrediting institution for professional graduate school of intellectual property also.
Extension of accreditation activities led to the development of evaluation system for “enhancementof educational quality” based on extensive knowledge and experience.
16