Tokyo Tech’s President Masu Enhances Partnerships with Indonesian Universities During Visit

Tokyo Tech President Kazuya Masu and his delegation paid a courtesy call to four universities in Indonesia between August 11 and 17. The delegation also joined a series of gatherings during their trip, including the establishment of Kuramae-Indonesia, the Indonesia branch of the Tokyo Tech Alumni Association.

Masu and his colleagues visited the University of Indonesia, Gadjah Mada University, and Bandung Institute of Technology, all of which have institutional-level agreements in place with Tokyo Tech. They also visited Sampoerna University, where the Faculty of Engineering and Technology concluded an agreement with Tokyo Tech’s School of Environment and Society in 2023. The objective was to introduce to Tokyo Tech partners Institute of Science Tokyo (Science Tokyo), the new university that will be born in October 2024 through the merger with Tokyo Medical and Dental University, and to actively exchange opinions on possible international exchange and industry-academia collaborations in the future.

Tokyo Tech Alumni and Friends Gatherings were held throughout the week in Jakarta, Yogyakarta, and Bandung, the locations of Sampoerna University, Gadjah Mada University, and Bandung Institute of Technology, respectively. The events were attended by approximately 170 Tokyo Tech alumni as well as local students interested in studying at Tokyo Tech. At the events, Masu spoke about current Tokyo Tech initiatives, thanked the alumni for their support, and encouraged them to root for Science Tokyo in the future. At the reception of each event, Tokyo Tech alumni enjoyed reminiscing about their student lives and reporting on their more recent activities and achievements.

Another significant event during the trip was a ceremony held at Gadjah Mada University to celebrate the inauguration of Kuramae-Indonesia, the Indonesia branch of the Tokyo Tech Alumni Association. As of May 2023, there were 118 students from Indonesia studying at Tokyo Tech. This represents the second largest group of international students by nationality. Kuramae-Indonesia is the fourteenth overseas branch of the Tokyo Tech Alumni Association, and Masu’s presence at the inauguration ceremony undoubtedly helped to reinforce ties across the global Tokyo Tech community.

At the ceremony, Professor Panut Mulyono, a Tokyo Tech alumnus, former president of Gadjah Mada University, and the first president of Kuramae-Indonesia, declared the inauguration of the branch with a short speech. Masu shared some congratulatory words, and video messages from Tokyo Tech Alumni Association President Kiyoto Ido and Professor Naoto Ohtake, the inaugural president and CEO of Science Tokyo, were also broadcast. Kuramae-Indonesia was officially welcomed into the Tokyo Tech global network with thunderous applauses.

These events with Tokyo Tech alumni in Indonesia would not have been possible without generous cooperation of Associate Professor Farid Triawan of Sampoerna University, who also serves as a visiting associate professor at Tokyo Tech, Assistant Professor Manahan Siallagan of Bandung Institute of Technology, who is a Tokyo Tech Alumni Ambassador, and Researcher Beni Lestari of Gadjah Mada University.

After 143 years of challenges, discoveries, and successes, Tokyo Tech will soon evolve into Science Tokyo. Despite this change, the new Science Tokyo community will continue to cherish the ties with its domestic and international alumni, its partner institutions, and all Tokyo Tech and Science Tokyo friends across the world.