On June 12, Ritsumeikan University concluded a memorandum of agreement with Cornell University with the aim of promoting international academic exchange.

Established in 1885 and ranked 14th in the QS World University Rankings, Cornell University is one of the top private universities in the United States. This agreement is the result of sustained efforts by the two institutions to deepen exchange on the research front as evidenced by the co-hosting of an international conference by Ritsumeikan Asia-Japan Research Organization^*1and Cornell University Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies^*2.

With this agreement in place, Ritsumeikan will take part in research exchange centered on Meridian 180^*3, an international research network headquartered at Cornell University.

At the signing ceremony, President of Ritsumeikan University and Director of Ritsumeikan Asia-Japan Research Organization Mikio Yoshida gave a greeting in which he expressed his intention to bring Ritsumeikan's education and research even closer to a global-standard level by participating in Meridian 180 and other global research networks.

Next, Professor Hirokazu Miyazaki, director of the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies, talked about how the exchange between the two universities began at the grassroots level of individual researchers. He also expressed his high expectations for the participation of a large number of Ritsumeikan’s active researchers in Meridian 180, whose core members include Cornell University, The University of Tokyo, Keio University, Ewha Womans University (Korea), and the University of New South Wales (Australia).

With this agreement, Ritsumeikan University will continue striving to further internationalize its research activities.

*1: Founded in February 2015, Ritsumeikan University’s Asia-Japan Research Organization, in its role as a body to drive forward the creation of “an Academy that contributes to the future of Asia and the world”, serves as a hub to connect various Asia and Japan-themed research institutes. With the President of Ritsumeikan University as its director, the Organization functions as a parent organization and platform that brings together scholars and researchers of Asian and Japanese studies from all over the world.

*2: Established in 1961, the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies serves as Cornell University's hub for international research.

*3: Meridian 180 is a multilingual forum that yields “research-based solutions designed to influence public discourse and government policy”. Membership currently stands at more than 800 participating researchers and practitioners from 39 countries.