On February 5, the fourth and last part of the MJSP inaugural lectures took place.
After having representatives from academia, business and NPOs, we had the honour of having H.E. Mr. Bruce Miller, the Australian Ambassador to Japan, as our speaker.
His lecture was entitled “Australia and Japan – relationships for the future: Tohoku, a case study”.
The Ambassador spoke about Australia’s reconstruction efforts in the disaster-stricken northeast of Japan, providing accounts of Australia’s relief efforts immediately after the disaster and how support has gradually changed from immediate aid to public private partnerships. After the lecture a vivid discussion ensued.
Before the lecture, the Ambassador generously took the time for a roundtable with Hokudai students (both Japanese and foreign) from the Faculty of Letters, Agriculture, Medicine and OIA.
Topics that were discussed included experiences, merits and challenges of studying abroad, experiences as a high-ranked diplomat and career choices in general. Prof. Philip Seaton, convenor of the Modern Japanese Studies Program and Prof. Susanne Klien, faculty member of MJSP, were also present.
Thank you very much for having this wonderful opportunity.
