Exchanges between National Chiayi University (NCYU) and its sister university, Nagasaki University in Japan, have reached a new level. On March 5th, Prof. Naomi Hosoda and Associate Prof. Yasuaki Sato from the Faculty of Multicultural Studies at Nagasaki University, along with Lecturer Taeko Moriyasu from the Office of International Cooperation, visited NCYU and were received by Chief of the Office of Research and Development Yu-Ching Yeh. Both sides reached multiple agreements on transnational academic collaboration and will engage in in-depth cooperation on understanding immigrant cultures and sustainable agri-food education.
NCYU and Nagasaki University have a long history of research collaboration, student exchanges, and cross-cultural interactions. One key area of their collaboration will focus on transnational migration studies and cultivating cultural understanding among university students. Prof. Naomi Hosoda of Nagasaki University is a specialist in transnational cultures in East Asia, with a long-standing focus on cultural adaptation among migrant workers and immigrants. Yu-Ching Yeh, Chief of Research and Development at NCYU, has extensive experience researching immigrant families in Taiwan. She was commissioned by the Ministry of Education to develop parent–child reading materials in seven Southeast Asian languages, with remarkable results. Based on their shared interests in social issues, Yu-Ching Yeh, Chief of Research and Development, and Prof. Naomi Hosoda will jointly launch the "Taiwan–Japan Transnational Research Project on University Students’ Understanding of Migrant Workers." The project aims to examine the perspectives of younger generations in both countries and how they embrace cultural diversity.
Associate Prof. Yasuaki Sato of Nagasaki University is an expert in East Asian banana cultivation and trade. Another collaborative research theme will trace the transnational history of bananas, integrating agri-food education with sustainability education in Taiwan and Japan. Associate Prof. Yasuaki Sato noted that Meinong District in Kaohsiung served as a key hub for Taiwan’s banana exports to Japan during the Japanese era. During this visit, he will travel to Meinong to conduct field research. In the future, Associate Prof. Yasuaki Sato will collaborate with interdisciplinary research teams from NCYU’s Department of Applied History, Department of Horticulture, and Department of Marketing and Tourism Management to further advance research on sustainable agri-food education. Highlights of the project include developing practical teaching materials by compiling agri-food education experiences from kindergartens to primary and secondary schools in both regions. These materials incorporate key concepts such as environmental sustainability, eco-friendly farming, marine environmental awareness, and seasonal eating. Another key component is cultural comparison, which involves a comparative study of school lunch types and dining rituals between Taiwan and Japan. Finally, the project will also explore behavioral guidance by analyzing how agri-food education profoundly shapes students’ daily dietary habits from a cultural perspective, ultimately contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
NCYU stated that this exchange not only deepens the sister-school partnership but also extends the academic vision from campus exchanges to empirical research on global issues. Through this transnational collaboration, both parties look forward to making a substantial impact on cultural integration and environmental education in East Asian societies.
Photo 1: Lecturer Taeko Moriyasu (first from left), Prof. Naomi Hosoda (second from left), and Associate Prof. Yasuaki Sato (first from right) from Nagasaki University, Japan, meet with Yu-Ching Yeh, NCYU's Chief of Research and Development.