The Inaugural Session opened with a Welcome Address by Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar, Founding Vice Chancellor of JGU, followed by a Special Address by H.E. Mr. Hatoyama Yukio, Former Prime Minister of Japan. In his reflective address, Mr. Hatoyama remarked: “Japan and India share a relationship that goes beyond diplomacy and contemporary cooperation. It is rooted in a deeper civilisational bond shaped over centuries by Buddhism, ethical thought and spiritual exchange. The philosophy of Yu-ai, or fraternity, speaks to mutual respect, mutual understanding and mutual assistance, and finds a natural resonance with Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals of Ahimsa (Non-Violence) and Sarvodaya (The Welfare of All). In this shared inheritance, Japan and India have the opportunity to offer the world a vision of harmony, human dignity and coexistence, inspired by the timeless Indian wisdom that the world is one family.”
He concluded by saying, “Education for young people is inseparable from the creation of our future, and I sincerely hope that deeper collaboration between JGU and Japanese universities will enable more students to participate in mutual exchange, strengthening Japan–India relations in academia, economics and culture.”
Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar then delivered the Inaugural Address, confirming JGU’s long-term commitment to Japan and its vision of universities as enduring bridges between the two nations. A Special Address was delivered by H.E. Mr. R. Madhu Sudan, Chargé d’Affaires, Embassy of India, Tokyo, who conveyed the Mission’s warm support for deeper academic and institutional cooperation between India and Japan and welcomed the Forum as a timely contribution to the two countries’ Special Strategic and Global Partnership.
This was followed by the Keynote Address, delivered by Professor (Dr.) Tomohiko Taniguchi, Former Special Advisor to the Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who offered a considered perspective on the strategic dimensions of the India–Japan relationship and the role of knowledge, innovation and higher education in shaping the future of the Indo-Pacific and the world at large.
A key highlight was the Distinguished Public Lecture by Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, India, and Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs. Addressing a full and distinguished audience of university leaders, diplomats and students, Dr. Tharoor reflected on the evolving relationship between India and Japan and the role of higher education, ideas and people-to-people engagement in shaping the future of Asia in an age of rapid technological change. In the course of his remarks, he warmly appreciated JGU’s sustained and meticulous efforts in building deep and enduring academic ties with Japan, observing that institutional initiative of this kind embodies the very people-to-people foundations on which lasting bilateral relationships are built.
The session also witnessed the launch of the JGU Sustainability Report 2026 by Professor Padmanabha Ramanujam, Dean, Office of Academic Governance, JGU.
The Forum’s Panel Discussion brought together an esteemed gathering of senior leaders from Japan’s leading universities on a single stage. Moderated by Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar, Founding Vice Chancellor of JGU, the panel featured Professor (Dr.) Kaori Hayashi, Executive Vice President, University of Tokyo; Professor (Dr.) Shoichiro Iwakiri, President, International Christian University; Professor (Dr.) Noriyuki Takahashi, President, Musashi University; Professor (Dr.) Miki Sugimura, President, Sophia University; Professor (Dr.) Nobuo Haruna, President, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies; Professor (Dr.) Matthew Wilson, President and Dean, Temple University, Japan Campus; Professor (Dr.) Masahiko Gemma, Vice President, Waseda University; and Hon’ble Mr. Justice Michael D. Wilson, Former Judge, Supreme Court of Hawaii.
The Forum also hosted a Certificate Distribution Ceremony for nearly 200 JGU students who completed Short-Term Study Abroad Programmes (ST-SAPs) at JGU’s partner universities across Japan in Summer 2026, including Chuo University, Kyorin University, Musashi University, Temple University, Japan Campus, the University of Tokyo and the University of Yamanashi. The ceremony was presented by Professor Hinaho Kishi, Assistant Professor and Assistant Director, Office of International Affairs and Global Initiatives, JGU, and Ms. Ananya Lall, student of the Bachelor of Business Administration (Hons.) programme at the Jindal Global Business School, JGU.
Speaking on the occasion, Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar, Founding Vice Chancellor, JGU, said: “The 3rd India–Japan Higher Education Forum reflects JGU’s abiding commitment to building enduring bridges between India and Japan through higher education, research, innovation, student mobility and sustained dialogue on the future of universities in the age of artificial intelligence. As we embrace the extraordinary possibilities of technology, universities have a responsibility to ensure that artificial intelligence deepens human understanding, advances the public good and strengthens global cooperation. Universities must remain custodians of human values, critical thinking, ethical judgment and public purpose even as they prepare future generations for a rapidly changing world. It is in this union of technological ambition and humanistic purpose that the universities of the future will be shaped, and India and Japan are natural partners in that endeavour.”
Professor (Dr.) Akhil Bhardwaj, Executive Dean and Director, Office of International Affairs and Global Initiatives, JGU, said: “JGU’s engagement in Japan extends far beyond a single event. The Forum reflects a larger institutional effort to create meaningful partnerships, deepen student and faculty mobility, and build enduring platforms for sustained academic collaboration between Indian and Japanese universities. The Forum, our study abroad programmes and the breadth of our engagements with partners across Japan together represent a long-term investment in the people-to-people foundations of the India–Japan relationship.”
The 3rd India–Japan Higher Education Forum 2026 affirmed that the future of the India–Japan relationship will not be shaped by governments and markets alone, but also by universities, scholars and students who build trust across cultures, generate new knowledge, and prepare the next generation of leaders in both countries to learn with and from one another.
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