Executive Vice President Otani Visits Edmonton, Canada
From August 25 to 27, 2026, Executive Vice President Jun Otani of Kumamoto University (Global Strategy, Research and Regional Collaboration), visited Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.On August 25, Executive Vice President Otani visited the University of Alberta, where he exchanged views with representatives responsible for international education. He also met with researchers in the fields of civil engineering and disaster prevention to discuss potential future collaboration with Kumamoto University’s Center for Water Cycle, Marine Environment and Disaster Management. In addition, he met with Dean Vikas Mehrotra of the Alberta School of Business, Associate Vice-President (Research) Ian Winship, and faculty members involved in English language education to explore opportunities for further educational and research collaboration.
From August 26, he joined a delegation led by Yoshifumi Matsumura, Member of the House of Councillors of Japan, and paid a courtesy visit to Prof. Bill Flanagan, President of the University of Alberta. He also participated in discussions with representatives of the City of Edmonton.
On August 27, Executive Vice President Otani met with Prof. David Bressler, Vice-President (International, Innovation & Entrepreneurship), and visited the Prince Takamado Japan Centre for Teaching and Research. During discussions with representatives of the University of Alberta, the two universities exchanged views on future collaboration and agreed to explore the possibility of developing a student exchange agreement in specific academic fields.
At a roundtable on semiconductor talent development, participants discussed the development of highly skilled human resources and future educational and research exchanges, against the backdrop of the growing semiconductor industry in Kumamoto. At a working lunch on disaster prevention, following an overview of Japan’s disaster prevention policies and related initiatives by Councillor Matsumura, participants exchanged views with University of Alberta researchers on possibilities for future collaboration in the fields of disaster prevention and mitigation.
Kumamoto University and the University of Alberta have built a long-standing relationship through student and researcher exchanges and collaborative research. Building on this strong foundation, Kumamoto University will continue to further develop student mobility and promote educational and research collaboration in areas such as semiconductors, AI, and disaster prevention and mitigation.
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