Uzbekistan and Japan Discuss Cooperation in Education and Science

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — During his official visit to Tokyo, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a meeting with Japan’s Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Yohei Matsumoto, Tsuyoshi Sugino, Head of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, and leaders of leading Japanese universities, including Tsukuba, Nagoya, Tottori, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, and Nagoya University of Economics.

The President emphasized that education, science, and investment in human capital—which underpin Japan’s “economic miracle”—are a strategic focus of Uzbek-Japanese cooperation. He noted Japan’s long-standing leadership in scientific investment, the number of patents, and its production of numerous Nobel laureates, particularly in physics, chemistry, and medicine.

Special attention was given to the Japanese school model, characterized by strong foundations in natural sciences and mathematics, high teaching quality, and a culture of diligence, teamwork, and discipline. Prestigious Japanese degrees, especially in engineering, robotics, medicine, and pharmaceuticals, are highly valued worldwide. A key feature is the close integration of education, science, industry, and business.

Currently, more than 2,800 Uzbek students study at leading Japanese universities, and over 440 civil servants have participated in the JDS scholarship program in Japan. Rector forums have become an effective platform for interaction; in October, the fifth forum was successfully held in Samarkand with nearly 50 universities from both countries.

President Mirziyoyev stressed that Uzbekistan views the development of education and science as the foundation for accelerated modernization, competitiveness, and integration into the global intellectual and technological space. Significant progress has been made over the past seven to eight years, yet many tasks remain. Priorities include nurturing a new generation of researchers, transitioning to a cluster-based model for scientific organization, and concentrating resources on key sectors.

Japanese universities represented at the meeting possess advanced research infrastructure and strong academic potential in fields relevant to Uzbekistan, including artificial intelligence, digital technologies, agriculture and water management, green energy and sustainable development, seismology, and smart city technologies. Close collaboration is already underway, with intensive negotiations and new agreements on joint projects.

To further strengthen cooperation, it was proposed to establish a joint commission on education and science, an innovation consortium, implement flagship projects including AI integration in education, and launch engineering training programs.

During the meeting, an intergovernmental agreement on higher education cooperation was signed, along with a memorandum to establish a joint university in Uzbekistan with Tsukuba University, and several documents on scientific collaboration and workforce development. A “roadmap” will be adopted to ensure systematic and timely implementation of the agreements.