Report on EDU-Port Symposium FY2023
The EDU-Port Symposium was held on Tuesday, March 12th, 2024 on the themeof “Expectations for International Cooperation in Education”.
The EDU-Port Symposium brings together education stakeholders including
relevant ministries, government agencies, universities, education providers, NGOsand NPOs for the purpose of confirming the achievements of the current year’s
projects and establishing the future direction. Amid calls for stronger collaboration
with ASEAN and other countries of the Global South, together with cooperation
with developing countries to build a peaceful, stable and prosperous internationalsociety, it has become increasingly important for Japan to engage in international
educational cooperation to meet the demands of the changing times. At this year’s
EDU-Port Symposium, the seventh such event, various stakeholders came
together to share specific initiatives and good practices in past international
educational cooperation and to discuss the future direction of such cooperationand expectations for EDU-Port projects.
The symposium was held in a hybrid format of in-person and online sessions, withapproximately 300 participants from Japan and overseas.

(The positions and titles of the speakers below are as of the time of thesymposium.)■Opening Remarks
KITAYAMA Koji, Director, International Affairs Division, Minister’s Secretariat,MEXT(Summary) Amid discussions on strengthening collaboration with ASEAN andother countries of the Global South, it has become increasingly important forJapan’s international educational cooperation to meet the demands of the times.
In the area of government-led international educational cooperation, JICA plays acentral role in various initiatives, while EDU-Port Japan promoted by the Ministryof Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) also plays animportant role. In order to further enhance EDU-Port’s effectiveness, we need toraise its profile both domestically and internationally, leading to an even greater
contribution to the internationalization of Japanese education. Furthermore, weaim to leverage our past achievements, knowledge and networks, while also
strengthening collaboration with JICA, JETRO and other relevant organizations. In
today’s symposium, we will hear a broad spectrum of opinions from experts withvaried viewpoints, together with expectations for the EDU-Port Project, andengage in discussions based on successful case studies and feedback from thefield. We hope that this will provide an opportunity to contemplate the future
direction of international educational cooperation as well as the trajectory of EDUPort Japan.

■【Guest Speech】
International Educational Cooperation of JICA and Expectations for EDU-Port
KAMEI Haruko, Director General, Human Development Department, Japan
International Cooperation Agency (JICA)(Summary) Today I am going to focus on: 1. Overview of JICA and educational
development cooperation, 2. EDU-Port and JICA partnership projects, and 3.
Expectations for EDU-Port and collaboration possibilities. The goal of JICA’scooperation policy under “Global Agenda: Education” is to provide “qualityeducation where each individual shines with vitality.” Examples of collaboration

with EDU-Port include textbook development in Papua New Guinea and promotionof Fukui-style education in Malawi. Expectations for EDU-Port are: (1) Providing
solutions based on Japan’s education development experiences and excellent
educational content for achieving SDG Goal 4, (2) Providing opportunities for
information sharing and networking (partnerships) among relevant actors, and(3) Returning the benefits from overseas education cooperation to Japan. Suchcollaboration is expected to lead to achievement of SDG Goal 4, high appreciationof Japan’s education and the success of Japanese business, and further
globalization of education in Japan.

■【EDU-Port Japan Project Activity Report and Successful Case (1)】Internationalization and quality assurance of Tokkatsu aimed at fostering noncognitive skills in Egypt
KYOMEN Tetsuo, Associate Professor, Institute of Human Science, University ofTsukuba(Summary) In this study, we examine the status of localization of extracurricular
activities (Tokkatsu) in primary schools in Egypt and clarify the effect on noncognitive skills. The survey results will be fed back to Japanese educational
institutions, contributing to the globalization of education in Japan. In Project A,
we engaged in joint development of the Tokkatsu diploma program, and in Project
B, we verified the effectiveness of non-cognitive skills development in primaryschools. In Project C, we conducted interviews on the localization of Tokkatsu,
and in Project D, we organized activities to promote interaction between the Cairo
Japanese School (CJS) and Egypt-Japan Schools (EJS). This study aims to explore
connections between the culture (values) of the partner country and Japanesestyle education. It also pays attention to the negative aspects of Japanese-styleeducation,

facilitating

mutuallearning

through“reverseimportation.”

Furthermore, government, practitioners and researchers will work together topromote the overseas expansion of education. We anticipate that these initiatives
will provide suggestions for future international educational cooperation.

■【EDU-Port Japan Project Activity Report and Successful Case (2)】
Learning through implementation of Japanese style of music education and returnto Japanese education
OTAKE Yuji, Group Manager, Music Popularization Group, Asia-Pacific Sales
Division, Yamaha Corporation(Summary) The Yamaha School Project aims to contribute to the sustainability ofmusic culture through its business activities. It proposes package solutions to thechallenges faced by partner countries, and supports the introduction of education
through music and musical instruments while customizing it to fit thecircumstances of the country concerned. To date, the EDU-Port Japan project has
been implemented in five countries: Vietnam, Egypt, Brazil, India and Colombia.
It is said that collaborative and creative activities are the preferred means forfostering non-cognitive skills, currently a global trend in education. Yamaha
contributes to the overseas expansion of Japanese-style education through its
engagement in the music business, where such activities can be easily
incorporated. The value of Japan’s music education is reconfirmed in surveys of
non-cognitive skills in partner countries, and the use of digital teaching materials
leads to suggestions for reducing the burden on teachers, a challenge also faced
by Japan. In addition, cross-cultural exchange and understanding are also being
promoted through music exchanges between students from partner countries andJapan.

■【EDU-Port Japan Project Activity Report and Successful Case (3)】The process of nationwide rollout of school health room system andimplementation of school health checkup data management in Cambodia
SHIMIZU Hiroko, Professor, Chronic Care/Adult Health Nursing, Faculty ofMedicine, Kagawa University(Summary) Kagawa University has been collaborating with the Ministry ofEducation, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Japan International
Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, andTokushima University since 2016 to work on a project promoting hygiene
education and a school health room system with Ministry of Education, Young andSports of Cambodia. The Development Project for Hygiene Education and School
Health Room System in Cambodia was implemented by Kagawa University as anEDU-Port Japan Research Project in 2021-22. In September 2021, the local
government issued an ordinance to establish school health rooms throughout thecountry, leading to the gradual opening of health rooms from kindergarten touniversity using a Cambodian version of the Kagawa model. In the field,
government officials have begun self-initiated activities such as setting up school
health rooms and conducting school health checkups. Proceeding with activities
based on a relationship of trust with partners and in line with the Cambodian
government’s policy intention contributed to the success of the initiative. In
international educational cooperation with developing countries, it is essential toclarify long-term goals (relevance to local government policies) and project
outcomes (endpoints).

■PanelDiscussion–Expectations

forFuture

International

EducationalCooperation<Panelists>
SUZUKI Kan, Professor, University of Tokyo
KITAMURA Yuto, Professor, University of Tokyo
Speakers of Guest Speech and Reports
The panel discussion on the theme of Expectations for Future International
Educational Cooperation featured two experts who have been deeply involved withEDU-Port Japan, as well as a speaker and three presenters who reported on
publicly solicited project activities and successful cases. After appraisal of the talkand presentations, the following discussion took place.
(Summary)
Summary of talk and presentations▪

I feel that the hardships of the Covid-19 pandemic have led to the essential
activities and considerations of each project.

▪

As the history of education in Japan since the Meiji era differs significantly
from that of Anglo-Saxon education, we recognize how important it is todisseminate this trajectory widely internationally. The PISA 2022 results
announced in December 2023 revealed that one of the characteristics ofJapanese education is children’s strong sense of belonging at school. The
results of creating schools as learning communities that are not limited tosubject-based education, which Japan has seen as culturally important, arebecoming apparent.

Future Recommendations for EDU-Port Japan▪

In the course of implementing the project, we were able to find new issues
that could become the next theme for the project. We would like EDU-Port
to move forward with creating a system that can realize these possibilities.

▪

I feel that we are seeing greater awareness of EDU-Port Japan in Japaneseembassies overseas. To enhance Japan’s presence abroad, I would like to
see continued participation in international education fairs throughcollaborative exhibitions with companies.

▪

A two-way learning perspective is necessary. We recognize that Japanesestyle education is incomplete and believe that there is potential in learningfrom partner countries and continually updating. We plan to put intopractice what we have learned from partner countries in Japan and thenfeed back the results to those countries.

▪

In order to raise the level of education in Japan, diversification of financial
schemes aimed at reinvesting in domestic education is called for.
Additionally, we hope for further enhancement of collaboration with privatecompanies and other entities.

▪

It is wonderful that EDU-Port Japan has created a two-way open platform.

▪

In the new Basic Plan for the Promotion of Education announced in June
2023, “Japanese well-being” was listed as one of the two main pillars1. TheOECD is in the process of formulating “Education 2040” which aims toreexamine the question of what education is for. They want to challenge
the Western-led trend toward well-being, which views climbing the CantrilLadder, used to measure happiness, as a good thing, and that education isnecessary for that purpose. The raison d’être of Japanese schools goesbeyond just climbing the ladder; they serve as good communities withcooperative elements, while being mindful of peer pressure. This
contributes to the strong sense of belonging among Japanese children, asmentioned earlier.

1 The new Basic Plan for the Promotion of Education, announced in June 2023, cites as its concepts

for the next plan “Fostering the builders of a sustainable society looking ahead to 2040” and“Improving well-being based on the Japanese social context.”

■Poster Session
After the symposium, a poster session was held at the venue by 17 of theorganizations currently implementing EDU-Port Japan-adopted projects for thisfiscal year. Participants were seen engaging in lively conversations with project
representatives in front of each poster, creating a vibrant atmosphere at the venue.

In the post-event survey, feedback from respondents included comments such as,“I was able to get an overall understanding of the initiatives by government,industry and academia,” “The presentation content provided a more concrete
understanding of Japanese-style education than last year’s symposium,” and “I
had the opportunity to hear a discussion about EDU-Port Japan’s contribution tofuture international educational cooperation.”