On October 3, 2025, the 57th Board of Directors Meeting and 31st Annual General Meeting of the Association of East Asian Research Universities (AEARU) were held at Tohoku University.
Thirty-two participants attended the general meeting, including presidents, vice presidents, and other officials from 12 AEARU member universities. From Tohoku University, President Teiji Tominaga, Executive Vice President Toshiya Ueki, and Vice President Marie-Pierre Favre were in attendance.
The general meeting began with an opening address from AEARU Chairperson Dr. Charles Ng, the Vice-President for Institutional Advancement at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. President Tominaga then delivered a speech welcoming the participants to Sendai and expressing his desire on behalf of Tohoku University to further strengthen ties with universities in East Asia.
EVP Ueki reported on the APRU Multi-Hazards Summer School, co-hosted with AEARU in late July this year, and expressed his gratitude for the large number of student participants from AEARU member universities.
Following the general meeting, a panel session on the theme of comprehensive internationalization was held. Vice President Favre moderated the session, and she was joined by vice presidents from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and National Taiwan University. They shared examples of their respective university’s efforts and the issues in achieving comprehensive internationalization, leading to a lively discussion.
The participants then enjoyed a tour of the university’s campuses, which included visits to the International Research Institute of Disaster Science, the Tohoku University Archives, and Lu Xun’s Lecture Hall (formerly Sendai Medical College’s Lecture Hall No. 6).
A group photograph of all participants
President Tominaga greets the participants at the Annual General Meeting
EVP Ueki gives a report on AEARU activities
The panel discussion
Contact:
Global Engagement Division, Tohoku University
Email: kokusai-k@grp.tohoku.ac.jp