Consul-General Attends the Opening Ceremony of MAPs Nexus 2026 at UTAR
2026/7/16
On July 15th, Mr. Shinya Machida, Consul-General of Japan in Penang, attended the opening ceremony of “MAPs Nexus 2026: Think, Create, Lead (Management, Arts and Psychology),” an interdisciplinary educational programme held at the Kampar Campus of Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) in Perak.
Organised by UTAR’s Centre for Foundation Studies (CFS), the two-day programme was held on July 15th and 16th for pre-university students and secondary school students. It featured lectures, workshops, competitions and interactive exhibitions spanning management, arts, psychology and other fields. UTAR positioned the programme as an opportunity for students to develop creativity, critical thinking, communication skills and leadership.
The opening ceremony was attended by Ir. Professor Dato’ Dr. Ewe Hong Tat, President of UTAR; Ts. Tan Lee Siew, Director of the Centre for Foundation Studies; Ms. Yuvashini Salvami, Organising Chairperson; as well as university officials, lecturers, university students and participating school students.
In his remarks, Mr. Machida congratulated UTAR on organising the programme and stated that bringing together different academic disciplines provides students with a valuable opportunity to broaden their perspectives and encounter new knowledge and ideas. He also noted that 2027 will mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Malaysia and the 50th anniversary of the Consulate-General of Japan in Penang. He expressed his hope that UTAR students and other young people would further deepen their interest in Japan and Japanese culture and become bridges connecting the two countries in the future.
At the Japanese cultural lecture held on the same day, Dr. Kaori Kimura, Senior Lecturer at the Department of East Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Universiti Malaya, who was recommended by the Consulate-General, delivered a lecture entitled “Japanese Culture and Society: From Classical Literature to Pikachu.” Through a wide range of topics, including the Japanese writing system, Japanese literature, Murasaki Shikibu and The Tale of Genji, manga, anime, yokai, food culture and the Japanese sense of the seasons, the lecture explored how Japanese culture has been preserved and transformed over its long history.
The event provided students with a valuable opportunity to learn about Japanese culture from multiple perspectives and further strengthened educational and cultural exchanges between Japan and Malaysia.
Organised by UTAR’s Centre for Foundation Studies (CFS), the two-day programme was held on July 15th and 16th for pre-university students and secondary school students. It featured lectures, workshops, competitions and interactive exhibitions spanning management, arts, psychology and other fields. UTAR positioned the programme as an opportunity for students to develop creativity, critical thinking, communication skills and leadership.
The opening ceremony was attended by Ir. Professor Dato’ Dr. Ewe Hong Tat, President of UTAR; Ts. Tan Lee Siew, Director of the Centre for Foundation Studies; Ms. Yuvashini Salvami, Organising Chairperson; as well as university officials, lecturers, university students and participating school students.
In his remarks, Mr. Machida congratulated UTAR on organising the programme and stated that bringing together different academic disciplines provides students with a valuable opportunity to broaden their perspectives and encounter new knowledge and ideas. He also noted that 2027 will mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Malaysia and the 50th anniversary of the Consulate-General of Japan in Penang. He expressed his hope that UTAR students and other young people would further deepen their interest in Japan and Japanese culture and become bridges connecting the two countries in the future.
At the Japanese cultural lecture held on the same day, Dr. Kaori Kimura, Senior Lecturer at the Department of East Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Universiti Malaya, who was recommended by the Consulate-General, delivered a lecture entitled “Japanese Culture and Society: From Classical Literature to Pikachu.” Through a wide range of topics, including the Japanese writing system, Japanese literature, Murasaki Shikibu and The Tale of Genji, manga, anime, yokai, food culture and the Japanese sense of the seasons, the lecture explored how Japanese culture has been preserved and transformed over its long history.
The event provided students with a valuable opportunity to learn about Japanese culture from multiple perspectives and further strengthened educational and cultural exchanges between Japan and Malaysia.
