KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 2 – The University of Tsukuba, Japan today launched its branch campus in Malaysia in partnership with Universiti Malaya (UM), making it the first-ever branch campus of a Japanese university to be established outside of the Land of the Rising Sun.
Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir said the establishment of the University of Tsukuba, Malaysia (UTMy) demonstrates the trust placed in Malaysia, especially within the higher education sector.
“As the first country in the world to host a Japanese university’s branch campus, Malaysia is truly honoured. This is a significant recognition of our efforts in higher education and it reinforces our commitment to fostering academic excellence,” he said.
He said the School of Transdisciplinary Science and Design, offered at UTMy, would provide an education programme aimed at developing talents capable of addressing global challenges.
Meanwhile, UTMy and UM, in a joint statement, said the establishment of the University of Tsukuba’s branch campus within the Wisma R&D Building at UM marked a profound strengthening of the enduring partnership between the two institutions.
“The 14 full-time faculty members specialise in a wide variety of fields, including life and environment, information technology, comparative literature, political science and subcultures.
“Students will be able to work for global companies and organisations based in Malaysia or overseas and play an active role in a sustainable manner after graduation,” the statement read.
Earlier, University of Tsukuba president Prof Nagata Kyosuke, in his speech, said UTMy’s School of Transdisciplinary Science and Design aimed to develop individuals with data science literacy that could apply ideas and technologies from the natural sciences, humanities and social sciences to a broad range of global issues.
He said by utilising design thinking, the students could creatively contribute to solving global issues.
