KUALA SELANGOR: The Japanese government and its higher education ministry are serious about the Malaysian government’s proposal for any of its universities to start branches here.
Japanese Ambassador to Malaysia, Dr Makio Miyagawa said to date, no Japanese university has set up a branch outside the country and Malaysia may be the first one to have such a branch.
“Our universities have been contributing to academics only inside Japan and has never made any attempt to set up (branches) outside of our country,” he said.
Makio added that if any of Japan’s universities set up a branch in Malaysia, as requested by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, it would be the first such branch set up outside the country.
He was speaking to reporters after the 13th convocation ceremony of Universiti Selangor (Unisel) at its Bestari Jaya campus here today.
At the event, Makio was awarded an honorary doctorate degree in political science by Unisel chancellor Tan Sri Raja Arshad Raja Tun Uda.
In June this year, Tun Dr Mahathir urged his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe to set up a branch of Japanese universities in Malaysia which was a good choice due to the low costs.
A total of 2,683 Unisel graduates were conferred scrolls at the doctorate, masters, degree and diploma levels at the three-day ceremony which began today.– BERNAMA