On September 16, 2013, a Josai University Educational Corporation delegation led by Chancellor Noriko Mizuta paid a visit to Liaoning University where they met with university president Huang Taiyan and other administrators.

Founded in 1948, Liaoning University is a national university with an enrollment of 27,000. As a key national university, the school is widely recognized as a top-ranked institution in Liaoning province. Liaoning is a multidisciplinary university comprised of 25 departments with schools in international economics, financial management, and commercial management. The university, replete with a Japanese language department, attracts many Japanese exchange students each year. Josai first formed an academic exchange agreement with Liaoning University upon their visit in October 2011, and the two schools have since been in active discussion regarding their forthcoming program of exchange.

Seated in attendance at the meeting were Chancellor Mizuta and Advisor Takashi Murai of Josai University as well as President Huang Taiyan and Vice President Xu Ping of Liaoning University. The meeting began with both parties providing reports on recent activities and research projects at their respective universities before moving on to discuss larger topics of Japanese culture and language education as well as certain key environmental, business, and welfare issues that are important to both nations and pertinent to a program of exchange. Chancellor Mizuta spoke at the meeting, providing the following proposal, “With the beginning of the 2+2 program, we hope to implement a concrete program of exchange with Liaoning University as soon as possible. As our university is channeling much energy into sports, we are also interested in planning some form of sports-related exchange.” President Huang then added, “Our two universities share many common strengths and areas of study. Since Liaoning also has a Japanese Language Education Center, we would like to embark on a program of exchange at not just the student but the faculty level as well.”

Afterwards the delegation was guided on a tour of the Liaoning campus, which only seemed to have become more beautiful since the last visit. Under the guidance of Assistant Director of International Exchange, Zhang Haibo, the group took a walking tour of the classrooms at Liaoning’s law department, as well as the gymnasium, library, and other campus facilities.