On May 19, 2023, a study abroad webinar was held for Spanish-speaking countries and regions in South America as part of the project activities of Study in Japan Global Network Project (Study in Japan Project). The purpose of this webinar was to encourage potential students of Latin America to study in Japan by having international students from Latin America who are currently studying in Japan. The association representatives talked about their experiences and addressed concerns or questions from prospectives Latinamerican students who consider Japan as a study destination. Additionally, this event proposes the opportunity to repeat the session model with Latinamerican students from other Japanese universities to provide a more comprehensive image of studying in Japan by introducing their activities and initiatives. The first session introduced Association of Latin American Students of the University of Tsukuba (Latam UT).
The webinar was moderated by Dr. Giancarlo Carmelino, project staff member and study abroad sub-coordinator, who gave an overview of the Study in Japan Project and explained about studying in Japan, followed by a roundtable discussion with four South American students currently studying at the University of Tsukuba about their motivation for studying in Japan, their degree fields, and student life. The webinar was attended by 73 participants and received 233 registrations.
The webinar was watched by 73 participants from Argentine, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Peru, etc., using chat system participants asked a wide range of questions about government scholarships, Japanese language and English language proficiency test scores, letters of recommendation, and other application procedures, etc., as well as about their desired field of study and culture shock in Japan.
Upper From left: Dr. Giancarlo Carmelino, Vice Project Coordinator for Study in Japan project, Luis Torres (2nd year of Master’s, Venezuela), Oyuki Jara (1st year of Master’s, Paraguay)；Lower from Left: Diego Ramirez (1st year of Master’s, Bolivia), Luisa Gatica (1st year of Master’s, Guatemala)