History with JICA

History of collaboration with JICA

2011

We have begun accepting long-term trainees under the Afghanistan "Project for the Promotion and Enhancement of the Afghan Capacity for Effective Development" (PEACE) (Note 1).

2016

Following the signing of a partnership agreement/memorandum of understanding with JICA, we have begun accepting long-term trainees (from Mozambique and Nigeria) under the ABE Initiative (Note 2). This acceptance has accelerated the review and expansion of lecture courses that were primarily offered in English for the Double Degree Program (DDP) (Note 3), which began in 2011, and has also led to progress in improving the environment for accepting long-term trainees, such as providing English-speaking support at the graduate school office.

2017

In addition to the ABE Initiative, we have begun accepting long-term trainees under the SDGs Global Leader Program (Note 4). Furthermore, as part of the JICA Graduate School of Development Studies collaboration (Note 5) between JICA and domestic universities, the Graduate School of Science and Technology has also joined a new training program (new international student program) called the Agriculture Studies Networks for Food Security (AGRI-Net) (Note 6), and has begun accepting long-term trainees.

2020

In order to strengthen the support system for the long-term trainees, whose numbers are increasing year by year, the JICA Support Desk (JSD) was established in November of the same year. At the JSD, JICA program graduates work in cooperation with the Graduate School of Science and Technology Affairs Section to provide support that makes the most of the knowledge and experience of the graduates, such as helping long-term trainees settle in Niigata and assisting them in running their research activities smoothly.

2021

In March of the same year, we signed a memorandum of understanding with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Tokyo Center to promote collaboration. Our university and JICA have continued to collaborate in many areas for many years, with faculty members participating in JICA projects as experts in various fields and our university accepting foreign trainees invited by JICA.
At the signing ceremony, which was held online, President Ushiki said, "We would like to contribute to the development of international and local communities, especially with the cooperation of JICA, which plays a leading role in promoting the SDGs." JICA Tokyo Center Director Tanaka Izumi said, "We would like to further expand the acceptance of international students from developing countries, who will serve as a bridge between Niigata, Japan, and their home countries."
The Graduate School of Modern Society and Culture and the Graduate School of Science and Technology were established as the Graduate School of Integrated Arts and Sciences in April 2026. Through this memorandum, the University will continue to deepen collaboration between the two schools and promote the development of human resources who will contribute to the international and local communities.

(Note 1): Project for the Promotion and Enhancement of the Afghan Capacity for Effective Development (PEACE). In response to the severe shortage of core human resources to promote development in government ministries and agencies due to the effects of the prolonged civil war, this project supports human resource development by accepting administrative officials and university professors in the fields of infrastructure, agriculture, and rural development as trainees at Japanese universities.

(Note 2): The ABE Initiative (African Business Education Initiative for Youth) is a program that invites young people from Africa to Japan and provides them with opportunities to earn a master's degree at a Japanese university and to do internships at Japanese companies, with the aim of developing industrial human resources in Africa and cultivating human resources that will serve as a bridge between Japan and African businesses. Announced by the Japanese government at the Fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD V) in 2013, the first class of students began to be accepted in 2014. Since then, a total of more than 1,700 people (as of December 2023) from all 54 African countries have participated in the program.

(Note 3): Niigata University has established an international educational program with universities that have double degree program agreements with the Graduate School of Science and Technology. Graduate students participating in this program are registered at both Niigata University and the partner university, and are able to obtain a double degree from each university under the guidance of faculty members from both universities.

(Note 4): This program was launched in 2019 with the aim of cultivating highly skilled human resources, such as outstanding government officials and young researchers, who could become future key figures in Latin American countries in order to promote development cooperation towards achieving the SDGs. JICA is currently accepting many trainees as "SDGs Global Leader" for the entire world.

(Note 5): The JICA Development Studies Program invites to Japan individuals (JICA students) who have the motivation and ability to take on the future of developing countries. JICA collaborates with domestic universities to provide them with opportunities to learn about both Japan's modern development experience and its knowledge as a postwar aid-providing country (donor), in addition to education and research in specialized fields within the university's degree programs.

(Note 6): The Agriculture Studies Networks for Food Security (Agri-Net) is a JICA Development Studies Graduate School collaborative program that will accept approximately 100 international students (master's and doctoral students) per year over a 10-year period (2020-2030) to develop top leaders and core human resources in developing countries who will support future agricultural and rural development.