A delegation from National Dong Hwa University (NDHU) visited Kumamoto, Japan, on July 16–17 to participate in the 2025 Taiwan-Japan University Presidents’ Forum. During the visit, the delegation conducted site visits to earthquake reconstruction areas and held in-depth exchanges and cooperation discussions with several Japanese universities. The goal was to share practical experiences in disaster recovery and post-disaster education and to deepen academic collaboration. The delegation was led by President Hweiming Hsu and included Dr. Ming-Chien Su, Director of the Office of International Affairs; Dr. Yi-Cheng Chang, Associate Dean of the College of Science and Engineering; and Ms. Mei-Sung Chiang, Program Assistant at the Office of International Affairs.

During the forum, President Hsu was invited to speak in a special session titled “The Role of Universities in Natural Disasters.” In his presentation, he shared NDHU’s firsthand experiences during the 2024 Hualien Earthquake, including fire outbreaks and structural damage on campus. He elaborated on the university’s emergency response, covering areas such as personnel safety, psychological recovery mechanisms, and strategies for uninterrupted teaching. President Hsu also expressed sincere gratitude to Tokyo University of Agriculture and Fukuoka Institute of Technology for their proactive support following the disaster. He emphasized that international academic solidarity and mutual assistance among universities are deeply meaningful in times of crisis.

The forum also featured a comprehensive introduction to the Taiwan AI Teacher Education Alliance, spearheaded by Taiwan’s Ministry of Education, drawing significant attention from the Japanese higher education sector. The alliance brings together 29 teacher-training universities across Taiwan, in collaboration with 22 local governments and 47 primary and secondary schools, to advance AI-integrated education. Its four main pillars include curriculum development, hands-on implementation, educational research, and the establishment of model schools—demonstrating Taiwan’s strength and forward-thinking strategy in digital transformation of education.

That evening, university representatives from Taiwan and Japan attended a welcome banquet to continue their discussions and networking. NDHU held constructive exchanges with its Japanese partner institutions, exploring future cooperation opportunities in joint research, faculty and student exchanges, and dual-degree programs.

The NDHU delegation also visited key earthquake reconstruction sites such as the New Aso Bridge and the KIOKU Earthquake Memorial Museum. Through guided tours, visual archives, and educational exhibits, the group gained valuable insights into how Japan integrates efforts from communities, government agencies, and educational institutions to promote sustainable reconstruction and civic education after major disasters.

This visit provided NDHU with a meaningful platform to share its real-world experiences in earthquake recovery with the international academic community, while also strengthening its collaborative ties with Japanese universities. Looking forward, NDHU aims to further promote initiatives in disaster education, AI-driven teacher training, and transnational academic cooperation, advancing into a new era of internationalization and innovation in higher education.