Glocal Hatara-Kurasu Gunma
Project
Project for International Student's Living Environment and Job Search Support

Greetings

“Glocal Hatara-Kurasu Gunma” Project
Megumi Yuki (Professor, Gunma University)

Japan is now tackling a plan to accept a total of 300,000 foreign students. To achieve its goal, the development of an environment to accept foreign students is an urgent issue. To meet this demand, we launched the Glocal Hatara-Kurasu Gunma Project, based on cooperation with the prefectural government. The project is characterized by the following two initiatives:

1. To provide support for living and job searching of foreign students, which will encourage their settlement in the local community after graduation and
2. To integrate efforts across the region to nurture “glocal talents” or persons who play major roles on the global stage with their basis on Gunma.

The first initiative will be implemented by the six organizations recently approved by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The initiative will be promoted as an all-Gunma effort led by a consortium comprised of 38 businesses, universities, governmental organizations and financial institutions, including 10 Gunma universities with foreign students and 28 public/private organizations of the region.

The second initiative is the integration of efforts across the region to nurture “glocal talents” or persons playing major roles on the global stage and based in Gunma, and is particularly unique in comparison with other projects planned by the aforementioned organizations. We launched the Glocal Leadership Program (GLLP) to cultivate local talents who will promote the rich local characteristics of Gunma on the larger global stage. The program is also supported by the combined efforts of businesses, universities, governmental organizations and financial institutions. It targets not only foreign and Japanese students in Gunma Prefecture but also applicants from outside the prefecture, and those from overseas countries as well.

Our project is the only one of this kind adopted by MEXT in eastern Japan. This means that we are expected to establish a model example which will be followed by many other regions throughout the country. To accomplish this important goal, the integrated efforts of not only higher education institutions, but also various relevant institutions, are indispensable. For the sake of the bright and strong futures of the young talents in Gunma, we sincerely ask for your support and cooperation in the successful promotion of the Glocal Hatara-Kurasu Gunma Project.