CULCON Releases Recommendations to Double Student Exchanges Between Japan and the United States
CULCON’s Higher Education Task Force establishes a goal of doubling the number of study abroad students in each country by 2020.
Washington DC, June 13, 2013 — CULCON co-chairmen Thierry Porté and Minoru Makihara today presented a report in Tokyo to Prime Minister Abe that detailed recommendations for improving intellectual exchange between Japan and the United States. The same report was presented to Undersecretary Tara Sonenshine by CULCON panelists Deputy Assistant Secretary Susan Stevenson and Dr. Edward Lincoln. This Report is the result of a binational Educational Task Force which, under the leadership of former Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and Secretary Norman Mineta, convened to examine an alarming decrease in the number of Japanese students in the United States and to make recommendations to leaders in both nations towards an ambitious goal: to double the number of study abroad students in each country by 2020.
“Study abroad and international exchange are crucial for nurturing the bonds between Japan and the United States,” says Secretary Norman Mineta. “The language proficiency, communication and problem-solving skills our young people gain when they are introduced to other cultures are invaluable and prepare them well for the globalized marketplace.”