Cooperative Agreement Concluded with the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC)

On Thursday, June 30, 2005, Kyushu University welcomed Mr. Tango from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), a government-affiliated financial institution and concluded an agreement on overseas economic cooperation. This agreement demonstrates the intention of Kyushu University, which has declared its desire to contribute internationally based on its “Asian directive” policy, and JBIC, which actively promotes the practical application of knowledge and experience of universities.

JBIC provides support to developing countries through yen-based loans that constitute one of the main tools for Official Development Assistance (ODA). This is the first time that a cooperative agreement has been concluded between this university and a development assistance organization providing support to developing countries.

Through the conclusion of this agreement, it is expected that solutions will be offered to various critical issues concerning overseas cooperation in Asia and other parts of the world, through the use of human resources, and education and research, which has been accumulated by Kyushu University to date, for yen-based loan activities overseas, while also taking the practical experience garnered by JBIC in developing countries and incorporating it into the university’s education and research. In China, for example, every year there are over 6,000 deaths in coal mining accidents and environmental problems arising from mining have become increasingly serious. Through cooperation with JBIC, in 2006, Kyushu University will organize human resource training courses in order to develop human resources that can address safety and environmental issues in the coal mining industry in China. This fiscal year, preliminary surveys will be carried out to develop these activities for the following year.

In addition, the university will be dispatching students to JBIC as interns, in order to develop human resources that can conduct and lead aid activities in developing countries in the future, and thereby contribute to international society.