KPI was visited by the new Ambassador of Japan to Ukraine

On December 10, 2021, Igor Sikorsky KPI was visited by the recently appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Ukraine Matsuda Kuninori. He was accompanied by Hayashi Aiko, the Cultural Attaché of the Embassy of Japan in Ukraine, and Kyrylo Yaroshik, Officer of the Embassy’s Culture and Information Department.

The guests were hosted by the Rector of the University, Academician of the NAS of Ukraine Mykhailo Zgurovsky, Vice-Rector for International Relations, Corresponding Member of the NAS of Ukraine Sergii Sydorenko, Director of the Ukrainian-Japanese Center (UIC) Kateryna Lugovska. The Center itself became a venue for negotiations. The acquaintance of Matsuda Kuninori with its resources and activities was followed by a discussion of urgent cooperation issues between Igor Sikorsky KPI with the Embassy of Japan in Ukraine, Japanese higher education institutions, as well as companies and enterprises.

During the friendly and interesting conversation, the participants raised a question about the implementation of joint projects in the past and future prospects for cooperation. Sergii Sydorenko outlined the primary directions of mutual activities, which are the joint events on cultural, scientific, and innovative topics, training, interuniversity cooperation, implementation of joint scientific and educational projects. In particular, he expressed his hope that the visit of the ambassador would help about 20 Japanese companies currently operating in Ukraine to strengthen cooperation in innovation with Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute Center. The Ukrainian-Japanese Center should be the platform of such collaboration.

For his part, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Ukraine demonstrated an excellent awareness of the organization of cooperation between the UIC and KPI with partners in Japan, the Sikorsky Challenge Ukraine Innovation Ecosystem, and said that his priority task in Ukraine is to promote economic relations between Japan and Ukraine through scientific, technical and innovation cooperation. In addition, he identified the five most promising areas for the partnership’s development. These are IT, space, medicine and pharmacology, agro-industrial complex, as well as research and production of electric vehicles, given that Ukraine is a major global producer of lithium and developer of lithium technology, batteries for electric cars. Thus, Kuninori Matsuda considers it to be real to attract Japanese investors to cooperate with Ukrainian science and business. He also promised to support the development of KPI’s cooperation with the Japan Business Association in Ukraine and with the JICA office in Kyiv.

In addition, the Ambassador expressed his readiness to deliver lectures to KPI students on the history of international relations, ancient Rome and Greece (in particular, the Peloponnesian Wars), which he studied as a research specialist.

During the conversation with the representatives of the university press, the Ambassador of Japan addressed such a message to the students and teachers of Igor Sikorsky KPI: “KPI is a very famous and strong university, from which many famous scientists, inventors and famous people came. I want students and teachers to keep this in mind and do everything possible to ensure that students gain as much knowledge and get out of its walls as very strong scientists. Today there is a pandemic in the world, but I hope that the situation will improve and Ukrainian students will be able to get to Japan, and Japanese students will be able to visit the KPI. “

Information source: https://kpi.ua/2021-12-10