The Ambassador of Japan to Sweden visited Umeå University

    21 October 2022

    On Thursday 20 October, His Excellency the Ambassador of Japan to Sweden, Masaki Noke, visited Umeå University to learn more about the ongoing and future collaboration projects between Japan and Umeå University.

    From left: Mr Shinya Tatematsu, First secretary (Science and Technology) at the Embassy of Japan, Mr Masaki Noke, the Ambassador of Japan to Sweden, Hans Adolfsson, Vice-Chancellor, and Katrine Rikund, Pro-Vice-Chancellor.

    Photo: Per A Nilsson

    The Japanese Ambassador was accompanied by Shinya Tatematsu, First secretary (Science and Technology) at the Embassy of Japan. The visit included a discussion with Vice-Chancellor Hans Adolfsson and Katrine Riklund, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and responsible for research and doctoral education.

    A large focus of the afternoon visit was on the MIRAI 2.0 bilateral research and innovation initiative, in which Umeå University is a participating member along with 18 higher education institutions in Sweden and Japan. The project is specifically directed at researchers at an early stage of their career, to lead future joint activities between universities in the two countries.

    The ambassador received an overview of the university's research and educational activities, and exchange partnerships from Ingrid Svensson, Director of the International Office. Gregory Neely, Professor of Psychology and Pro Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, summarised the outcomes of the first phase of MIRAI (2017-19) and the current MIRAI 2.0 research groups within Ageing, Materials Science, Sustainability, Artificial Intelligence, and Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

    Professor Sun Nyunt Wai at the Department of Molecular Biology shared her experiences in Japan as a Ph.D. student at Kyushu University and her research on the properties of pathogenic bacteria at the molecular level. In addition, she was proud to share her collaboration with Nobel laureate Emmanuelle Charpentier at the Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS).

    After a campus tour, the ambassador met with several students from Japan on exchange studies at Umeå University. Currently, there are twelve exchange students from four Japanese universities and there are six students from Umeå University studying abroad in Japan.

    More about MIRAI

    MIRAI members

    Eleven Swedish universities and nine Japanese universities are part of the project:

    From Sweden:
    Umeå University, Jönköping University, Karlstad University, Linköping University, Linneaus University, Luleå tekniska universitet, Lund University, University of Gothenburg, Uppsala University, Stockholm University and Örebro University

    From Japan:
    Hiroshima University, Hokkaido University, Kyushu University, Nagoya University, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Sophia University, The University of Tokyo, Tohoku University and Waseda University

    Partner universities in Japan

    Umeå University has central exchange agreements with the following universities in Japan:

    • Hokkaido University
    • Sophia University
    • Tohoku University
    • Tokyo Metropolitan University
    • Waseda University

    Umeå Institute of Design

    • School of Media and Design, Nagoya University of Arts and Sciences


    Department of Creative Studies

    • Tokyo Gakugei University, Creative Studies

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