Future of Global Education in India and Japan: Exchanging Knowledge and Innovation; Ai & The Future of Jobs

Bengaluru, December 11, 2025: O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) hosted the senior delegation from the University of Tokyo at the India-Japan Higher Education Conclave 2025 in Bengaluru today on the theme “Future of Global Education in India and Japan: Exchanging Knowledge and Innovation; Ai & The Future of Jobs”.
The Chief Guest at the academic event was Dr. M. C. Sudhakar, Hon'ble Higher Education Minister, Government of Karnataka. The Minister gave the opening address and spoke about the new developments in higher education in India and welcome the new partnerships with Japan with whom India share a warm, historical and strategic relationship. The Guest of Honour and Inaugural Address was given by Dilip Thakore, Editor - Education World. K. Jairaj Former Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka gave the Introductory Remarks. The Keynote Address was given by Viswanath PS, Managing Director & CEO, Randstad India.
 The high-level delegation from University of Tokyo (UTokyo) was led by the Professor (Dr.) Kaori Hayashi, Executive Vice President in charge of Global and Diversity Affairs at the University of Tokyo; and Professor (Dr.) Satsuki Shioyama, Project Research Associate at GlobE.
Speaking at the inaugural session, Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar, Founding Vice Chancellor of JGU, said: “It is my honour to announce that O.P. Jindal Global University is the first university to have a students exchange agreement and a short term study abroad programme with the University of Tokyo, which is Japan’s top most university and can count many Prime Ministers, Nobel Laureates, outstanding public intellectuals and academics amongst its alumni. This India Tour substantially advances JGU’s Act East mandate and places higher education at the heart of the strategic partnership between India and Japan. India’s NEP 2020, push for internationalization of higher education, and rising outbound/inbound student flows, alongside Japan’s vision for global universities and Asia-led innovation hubs, provide an unprecedented moment for synergy. As both countries invest heavily in internationalization, talent exchange, digital learning ecosystems, and research ecosystems, a shared vision of future-ready education is emerging, this panel will explore how India and Japan can strengthen bilateral academic pathways, co-develop robust knowledge networks, and jointly prepare young learners for a rapidly transforming global world and co-create a roadmap for sustainable long-term cooperation.”
The Vice Chancellor also commented on the historical relationship between the two countries based on shared diplomatic cooperation , spiritual understanding and the importance of the two countries in long term impact in Asia.
The exclusive visit to Bengaluru Tour is centred on the theme “Future of Global Education: India and Japan as Leaders of Knowledge and Innovation and the Impact of AI on Jobs”. JGU has cultivated over 25+ university wide partnerships with leading Japanese institutions, designed to foster two-way academic mobility of students and faculty, catalyse joint research initiatives and strengthen the internationalization of higher education ecosystems in both countries.
Professor Kaori Hayashi, Executive Vice President in charge of Global and Diversity Affairs at the University of Tokyo, articulated UTokyo’s institutional vision for global engagement, with a particular emphasis on internationalization, diversity and the reimagining of academic partnerships in a rapidly transforming geopolitical and technological landscape.
She said “I am delighted to visit India again and we are keen to welcome student from India to Japan. The number of Indian students in Japan are very small. At the University of Tokyo, there are barely 80 students, and we look forward to bringing interested students who wish to study across a wide spectrum of courses in Japan. In Japan, we do not distinguish between local and international students, so the fee structure is the same for both. Culturally too, we are a very safe nation especially for female students. There are many courses which are delivered through the medium of English language and Tokyo as a cosmopolitan city is not barrier to people who  do not speak Japanese. It is our endeavour to grow and strengthen our higher education relationship and our collaboration with O.P. Jindal Global University is a welcome step. We aim to address the needs of school and university students for a global future while aligning values, culture, and educational philosophy in bilateral partnerships and therefore build 21st-century skills: critical thinking, multilingualism, global citizenship, and technological literacy.”
In continuation to the existing student exchange partnership, O.P. Jindal Global University has signed another agreement with the University of Tokyo to launch a Short-Term Study Abroad Programme. Under this collaboration, 40 students from JGU will visit the University of Tokyo in summer each year for a three-week academic and cultural immersion. This is expected to further strengthen the ongoing cooperation between India and Japan in the field of international higher education.
The Conclave brings together university leaders, policymakers, scholars and students to discuss the evolving global higher education landscape and the future of India–Japan academic cooperation. The India Tour features high-level policy dialogues, strategic university visits, press engagements and networking forums aimed at shaping a long-term roadmap for joint teaching, research and innovation. City-specific conclaves and interactions with regulatory leadership will showcase India’s higher education strengths and Japan’s internationalization strategies. Together, these engagements will enable new joint programmes, research collaborations and capacity-building initiatives focused on global education, innovation and cross-border mobility.
The participation of UTokyo’s delegation signals their intention to engage substantively with Indian partners on the future trajectory of global education, diversity and inclusion, and sustainable academic partnerships.
The visit has involved substantive conversations on academic pathway design, student mobility and the architecture of joint and dual programmes between Indian and Japanese universities. His interventions explored how carefully designed pathways, from short term exchanges to integrated degree programmes, can enable students to navigate multiple academic systems, build intercultural competencies and contribute to collaborative research and innovation.
The delegation observed that they were truly excited to see the educational collaboration taking place between JGU and UTokyo. "We appreciate JGU’s commitment to expanding students’ global outlook by sending them to Japan and we look forward to doing the same by offering more opportunity for ours to experience your exciting campus.  We are confident that the friendship formed among our students will contribute to an even stronger relationship between the two countries in the future.”
Professor (Dr.) Satsuki Shioyama, Project Research Associate at GlobE, brought comparative education, South Asian perspectives and gender sensitive lenses to the discussions, with a focus on mechanisms that make knowledge exchange more inclusive, reciprocal and sustainable.
Over the course of the India Tour, JGU and UTokyo leadership explored new and enhanced frameworks for academic cooperation. Key areas of engagement included: two way student and faculty mobility across disciplines and levels of study; the development of joint and dual degree programmes as well as shorter term mobility schemes; the design of collaborative and comparative research projects that leverage complementary strengths in both systems; and the creation of innovative cross institutional formats for teaching, learning and knowledge co creation, including co taught courses, joint seminars and hybrid learning initiatives.
Professor (Dr.) Akhil Bhardwaj, (Vice Dean, Office of International Affairs & Global Initiatives), JGU, added: “This India Tour with UTokyo will lay strong foundations for long term collaboration in faculty exchange, student mobility programmes and co created initiatives that connect universities, industry and government stakeholders."
This visit is expected to culminate in a forward looking roadmap for deepening JGU–UTokyo cooperation and advancing a shared vision of resilient, future ready India–Japan higher education linkages that contribute meaningfully to global knowledge and innovation ecosystems.
Prof. R. Padmanabha, Dean, Office of Academic Governance, O.P. Jindal Global University made the closing remarks, and the Presenter was Prof. (Dr.) Upasana Mahanta, Dean, Admissions & Outreach and Professor Jindal Global Law School, O.P. Jindal Global University.