Morishita: India is a fast-growing country, so the kind of relationship we build with the country is very important for Japan’s future. The relation is also vital to the global education and research of Japanese universities. Chancellor Sali, as an Indian, what are your thoughts on the Japan-India relationship for Japanese universities?

Sari: Foreigners, for example from Germany, Italy, and America for example, have already served as president or chancellor of Sophia. I happen to be an Indian, but in any case, Japan is definitely paying more attention to India now, both politically and economically. At the same time, even before the current administration, India has considered Japan important, as part of its “Look to the East” policy. Against this backdrop, I believe that the current Japan-India relationship presents a good opportunity for Japanese universities to build good partnerships.

Sophia has been paying attention to India for a long time. Eight years ago, the university appointed an Indian to the role of Trustee for Global Academic Affairs. And we currently have partnership agreements with 14 Indian universities. In addition, Sophia has a system of accepting Jesuit academics from overseas as invited faculty. Under this system, we get one or two people from India every year. Due to the difference in academic calendar, there are some challenges, such as issues for exchange programs. The new academic year at Indian universities starts around June or July. However, the current Indian Ambassador to Japan, who, like me, is from the state of Kerala, is very enthusiastic about Japan-India collaboration in university education and research. So, we have a good chance to strengthen cooperation.

Morishita: As a Jesuit university, what kind of role can Sophia University play in India?

Sari: There are more than 420 Catholic colleges (including universities) in India. If we include high schools, there is a huge number of Jesuit schools with excellent academic credentials. For this reason, I think it is quite easy for us to build mutually beneficial relationships. On the other hand, both Japanese and Indian students tend to look to Western countries as their first choice for studying abroad. For this reason, we need to increase the appeal of India to Japanese students and the appeal of Japan to Indian students.

Morishita: The total number of Indian students in Japan is only about 1,500, which is about 100 times less than the number of Chinese students. Considering the population of India, it’s fair to expect significant growth in Indian student numbers.

Sari: The large number of Chinese students in Japan is due to the success of Japanese language education in China. The Indian Ambassador to Japan, Sibi George, said that he wants to see 10 times more Indian students coming to Japan. To achieve this goal, it is important to improve pre-enrollment Japanese language education. Simultaneously, Japanese universities need to offer more English-language education programs to create more places for overseas students.

Morishita: President Terumichi, in the context of Sophia University’s globalization, what are your thoughts about India?

Terumichi: In terms of learning and research experience, there is great value in choosing the most energetic place in the world. India is truly a vibrant region, so it is natural for Sophia to try and establish a base for education there. Even with research collaborations, friendly rivalry with suitable competitors can be very fruitful. Through partnerships with Indian universities that are pursuing globalization we can expect to have interactions that enhance our research capabilities.

Morishita: In April of this year, Sophia signed a partnership agreement with IITD (Indian Institute of Technology Delhi). Could you tell us about the aims and background of this deal?

Terumichi: Since IITD is equipped with world-class research capabilities, the partnership can help to boost Sophia University’s research power and education. We have made a joint application for research program and are preparing for a program for students. After getting concrete research collaboration and an educational program off the ground, we would like to move the next stage, wider exchanges of students and faculty, leading to more fruitful research and educational programs. Like this, we hope to establish a positive research and educational cycle.

Sari: In the process of exploring the possibilities of joint research with IITD, we discovered that a professor who had taught in our Faculty of Science and Technology was working at IITD after retirement. This made it easy for us to reach out to IITD and forge an agreement, so it was a lucky break.

Terumichi: I, too, had a research colleague at IITD, which also helped to make the negotiations in Delhi smoother. I felt strongly that partnering with IITD would definitely help Sophia University make progress in its goal of globalization. The first thing I would like to do is launch a joint research project.

Morishita: In July 2024, we held an event titled, “Sophia University India Week.” It featured a lecture by the Ambassador of India to Japan, as well as a joint workshop with IITD on the theme of transportation science and technology.

Miyatake: A number of IITD researchers visited Japan for the workshop, so we were able to enjoy a variety of discussions. There was strong interest in railway technology, especially high-speed rail. Through the railway-related research I am involved in, we would like to expand our network of connections with IITD, though it depends on our efforts over the coming years.

Morishita: Since 2019, employees of the Ministry of Railways of India have been studying as graduate students in Professor Miyatake’s research lab to earn a master’s degree.

Miyatake: In my lab, 70% of the students are from abroad. Indians are the second-largest group after Chinese. Two students from India graduated in September, so there are only three right now. In all, we have so far accepted seven students, including research students. All of them are very keen to learn. I myself have found some of their research on energy-efficient and low-carbon train operation, and powering railways with solar energy and other forms of renewable energy, very stimulating. While I was in India for the agreement with IITD, I was also able to enjoy some exchanges with professors and students from Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya (GSV), which is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Railways. I think we can work out some kind of agreement with them as well.

Terumichi: In terms of learning and research experience, there is great value in choosing the most energetic place in the world. India is truly a vibrant region, so it is natural for Sophia to try and establish a base for education there. Even with research collaborations, friendly rivalry with suitable competitors can be very fruitful. Through partnerships with Indian universities that are pursuing globalization we can expect to have interactions that enhance our research capabilities.

Morishita: In designing an exchange program with IITD, we could offer a double degree, in a railway-related discipline, for example.

Sari: Although the barriers to creating exchange programs are high due to the difference in academic calendars, we might be able to offer more short programs and provide undergraduate students opportunities to combine learning with practical experience. Along the same lines as the double degree program proposed by the president, we could increase the number of projects that allow graduate students and faculty to collaborate with Indian counterparts.

Morishita: While inter-university exchanges with India are very important for the globalization of Sophia University, in order to promote studying abroad for regular students, we need to make Sophia better known not just to Indian university students, but also to high-school students in India. Sophia’s wealth of English-language programs, both in the sciences and technologies, business and liberal arts, would give us a valuable advantage.

Terumichi: When enrolling in a Japanese university, overseas students can truly experience Japanese society, but if they only visit for a few months as an exchange student that is not possible. Sophia University has a wide variety of English-language courses that overseas students can take, but it would be better for full-time students from abroad to learn Japanese to communicate in Japan. Fortunately, Sophia also offers a broad range of Japanese language programs for all skill levels.

Sari: I think that some Indian students also want to work in Japan. To make it easier for them to work while in Japan, we need to take advantage of the fact that Indians tend to be highly proficient at learning languages, by improving the design of our Japanese-language education system for international students.

Miyatake: Many Japanese companies are urgently in need of people that possess both English ability and specialized skills. At the same time, many international students are very interested in and excited by the prospect of internships. So, the internship system also needs to be improved.

Morishita: In my view, it’s also important to think beyond a bilateral relation with India, to multilateral cooperation with other countries. For example, India has deep ties with Africa, while Japan also enjoys friendly relations with many African countries.

Miyatake: In my lab, we also have graduate students from Kenya and Algeria, allowing us to have discussions involving Africans, Indians, Japanese, and other nationalities.

Terumichi: Another attraction of partnering with India is that it offers Japan and India the possibility to expand their current roles and create new roles in the global network. For example, it might be possible to establish a kind of trilateral framework focused on railways involving Japan, India, and Africa. If there is a role or place for students in such a framework, very good relationships could be formed.

Sari: India still has a great deal of potential for development. Japanese students could learn about India, make a contribution there, and then make use of their knowledge and experience in Africa. This is the kind of education with a global perspective that Sophia University should actively promote, I believe.

Morishita: Although today’s discussion focused on the partnership agreement with IITD and railways, our relationship with India offers further potential. As well as the sciences and technologies, we have received various offers of collaboration in the area of economics and law from Indian universities, for example. We can therefore promote research collaboration in a wide range of fields. To foster exchanges between Japanese and Indian university students, we also want to increase the number of practical programs, and encourage more young Indians to pursue degrees at Sophia. Like this, I believe we need to take advantage of all Sophia University’s strengths to build deeper and stronger relationships with India.