Japan, Turkey jointly open university in Ankara

A new science and technology university established by the governments of Japan and Turkey opened in the Turkish capital Ankara on Monday.

The two governments are cooperating in providing students with an education related to fields such as earthquake and disaster science, as well as artificial intelligence. The Turkish-Japanese Science and Technology University is expected to cultivate personnel with a high level of expertise that can serve as a bridge between the two nations.

On the first day, students learned how to exchange greetings in Japanese.

The university offers four-year undergraduate programs, including computer engineering and environmental engineering, as well as graduate programs, such as earthquake disaster science, and artificial intelligence and digital technologies. It plans to accept more than 80 students for the first academic year.

The school will provide students with opportunities to study at universities in Japan and promote internships at Japanese firms operating in Turkey.

One student said that Japan is a very technological and powerful country. He added that he would like to seize this opportunity and be an engineer one day.

The university was established based on an agreement signed by the Japanese and Turkish governments in 2013. It originally aimed to train students in fields related to a nuclear power plant that was planned to be built in Turkey. But the faculty structure was reviewed after Japanese companies decided not to take part in the nuclear power plant project.

Provost Mihara Hisakazu said that he expects students to think about issues that the two countries are facing and their futures so that they will become capable of resolving global issues.

Japan and Turkey have traditionally maintained friendly ties and cooperated in aid operations in cases of an earthquake or a disaster. Japanese automakers operate in Turkey, which　serves as a hub to export their vehicles to markets in the European Union.