Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Jonathan Choi Koon-shum Japanese Cultural Center Takes Place

 On Monday, October 31, 2016, the groundbreaking ceremony for the Jonathan Choi Koon-shum Japanese Cultural Center was held in a specially erected tent in front of the Ito Guest House on the Ito Campus.

 Construction of the Jonathan Choi Koon-shum Japanese Cultural Center has been made possible by a donation from Jonathan KS Choi, Chairman of the Sunwah Group of Hong Kong. It will serve as a center for education and research exchange in the fields of East Asian history and culture.

 The center is due to house a multipurpose hall capable of hosting conferences of up to 100 people, as well as meeting rooms that can be used for small gatherings. Its use by people from the worlds of industry and academia in Japan, China, and the rest of Asia as a venue for international conferences and other events is expected to further educational, cultural, and academic exchange and development.

 The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by around 100 people with links to Japan and China, most notably Consul-General He Zhenliang[A1]  of the Consulate-General of the People’s Republic of China in Fukuoka and Kyushu Economic Forum President Susumu Ishihara. During the ceremony, Mr. Choi presented Kyushu University President Dr. Kubo with a perspective drawing of the center and the two men broke the ground together.