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Japanese Globalization

Tokyo International Exchange Center

Offering a home to visiting students and researchers



Japanese




IN 2012, 137,756 foreign students came to Japan for their studies at undergraduate and graduate as well as at special training level. The majority were from China, Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam, but the total number includes almost every country in the world in 2012.

Upon arrival in Japan, one of the very first challenges they face is to secure reasonably priced and convenient housing.

The Tokyo International Exchange Center (TIEC), run by the Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO), offers a range of accommodations to visiting students in Tokyo, where there are opportunities for international cultural exchange. Furthermore, volunteering groups are ready to support. The TIEC headquarters is located in Odaiba, Tokyo, where they have 796 rooms for singles, couples and families. "Plaza Heisei" includes facilities for conferences, meetings, exhibitions and exercise.

The residence halls offer housing to those on scholarships, and the rooms are equipped with kitchens, bathrooms and an area for sleeping for the residents. Shared facilities include lounges, a music room, a tea room and an arts and crafts room. Gymnasiums and a training room for maintaining health are provided as well. Lastly, a recreation room, cooking instruction room and playroom exist for those with families or those who just wish to relax for the evening.

"Plaza Heisei" is used mainly for administration and for academic conferences. Many of the halls and seminar rooms are equipped for simultaneous translation, lectures and large-scale events.

TIEC also hosts a number of events, including presentations of research, reception parties and international festivals — and fresh foods are even provided for students. Japanese graduate students live there as resident assistants to help with problems related to everyday life in Japan.

TIEC's supervisory organization, JASSO, also offers various forms of support to foreign students, including scholarship programs for both incoming foreign students and outgoing Japanese students, aimed at undergraduate and graduate-level studies.

JASSO accumulates information on studying in Japan. Japanese students who wish to study abroad can also find support through various JASSO sponsorship programs. In 2010, it sponsored 10,200 Japanese students to study abroad in locations such as North America, Asian and Europe.

For the Achievement of Sustainable Society

UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development

Global challenges for sustainable development, such as global warming, sustainable use of natural resources and energy, food security, disaster risk reduction, and universal health coverage to protect lives and health, etc, need to be solved in order for people all over the world to live lives with dignity for the future generations. To this end, all people need to understand the global challenges, and each of us should change our awareness and act locally in our daily life. The idea, Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), encourages such movement.

Japan and UNESCO will co-host 'the UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development' in Aichi-Nagoya and Okayama, Japan in November 2014 as the finale to the "United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (UNDESD) (2005-2014)." The World Conference will review the achievement of the UNDESD as a showcase of lessons and good examples to promote ESD further beyond 2014.。



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