From October 26 to November 1, Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) hosted an international maritime exchange program between students from the NYK-TDG Maritime Academy (NTMA), a merchant marine university jointly operated with the Transnational Diversified Group (TDG) in the Philippines, and students studying the maritime industry in Japan.
<Group photo (Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology)>
This was the second in a series of exchange programs, following one held in August in which Japanese maritime students visited the Philippines. Eight students from NTMA visited Japan. The students participated in onboard training and sports exchanges at Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology and Yuge National College of Maritime Technology, deepening their exchanges with Japanese maritime students. They also held a roundtable discussion with Filipino seafarers working on land at the Nippon Yusen headquarters.
Furthermore, the group visited Shin Kurushima Toyohashi Shipbuilding (Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture), Japan Radio Co., Ltd. Tatsumi Works (Koto Ward, Tokyo), NYK Line Hikawa Maru (Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture), and its group companies Nippon Yuka Kogyo (Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture) and MTI (Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo), providing an opportunity to experience Japan's maritime industry and culture.
<Scenes from a visit to the Shin-Kurushima Toyohashi Shipyard>
The program aims to cultivate an international perspective and build networks that transcend national boundaries by having students from Japan and the Philippines, who aspire to become seafarers, stay in each other's countries for about a week, experiencing differences in language and culture through classroom learning, practical training, and sightseeing.
<Scenes from a roundtable discussion with the company's Filipino marine engineers>
NTMA students who participated commented that they "learned a lot not only about Japan's maritime industry but also about its culture and values," and that "it was heartwarming to interact with other maritime students." Japanese students, on the other hand, commented that "interacting with NTMA students, who are also maritime students, boosted my motivation for future school life," and that they "were inspired by their proactiveness."
Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK Line) stated that it will continue to cooperate with educational and research institutions both domestically and internationally to support the development of young people who will lead the future of the shipping industry.
