UMPSA Japan Day strengthens collaboration in advancing Advanced TVET

UMPSA Japan Day strengthens collaboration in advancing Advanced TVET

PEKAN, 7 June 2026 – Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA) continues to strengthen its international network in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) through the organisation of Japan Day: Empowering Advanced TVET Education in Collaboration with the Embassy of Japan in Malaysia, held in conjunction with the university-level National TVET Day 2026 celebration.

The programme, organised by the Faculty of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technology (FTKEE) in collaboration with the Embassy of Japan in Malaysia, successfully brought together university students, the school community, industry representatives, and the local community to celebrate the close relationship between Malaysia and Japan through education, culture, technology, and human capital development.

The UMPSA Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ts. Dr. Yatimah Alias, said the programme reflects the university’s commitment to advancing globally recognised Advanced TVET education through strategic collaboration with international partners.

“The close relationship established between UMPSA and the Embassy of Japan in Malaysia represents a form of kizuna, or bond of friendship, which serves as a foundation for developing collaboration in education, technology, innovation, and talent development.

“Japan is a country that has successfully balanced technological advancement, industrial excellence, and human capital development.

“Values such as discipline, precision, resilience, and innovation practised by Japanese society are closely aligned with UMPSA’s aspiration to become the Asia-Pacific Advanced TVET Hub by 2030,” she said.

She said this during the event, which was also attended by Counsellor and Director of the Information Service, Embassy of Japan in Malaysia, Kitaoka Tatsuya.

Also present was the Dean of FTKEE, Professor Ts. Dr. Hamzah Ahmad.

Professor Ts. Dr. Yatimah also shared her experience of visiting Japan in conjunction with Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, which inspired her through Japanese work culture and philosophies such as omotenashi, which emphasises sincere hospitality, and monozukuri, which emphasises skill, meticulousness, and pride in creating a product or innovation.

According to her, these philosophies are highly relevant to the development of Advanced TVET, which requires a combination of technical skills, creativity, innovation, and professional excellence.

“In strengthening the Advanced TVET agenda, UMPSA is committed to expanding collaboration with Japanese educational institutions, research centres, companies, and industry leaders with world-class expertise in automotive, aerospace, semiconductors, green technology, renewable energy, and rare earth-based industries.

“UMPSA sees great potential in leveraging the expertise of Japanese scientists, researchers, and industry leaders to strengthen joint research, technology development, and high-impact innovation that can contribute to national development and societal well-being.

“This collaboration is not limited to academic and research aspects but also encompasses talent development, student mobility, industrial training, professional certification programmes, and exposure to world-class technologies and industry practices,” she said.

She added that this approach could strengthen the research and innovation value chain, beginning with upstream research, technology development, and industry validation through to commercialisation and technology transfer.

She also emphasised the concept of kaizen, or continuous improvement, which is one of the factors behind Japan’s success and should be instilled among students as a culture of lifelong learning.

She said that through close relations with Japan, it is hoped that more engineers, technologists, and researchers can be developed to contribute to the growth of high-technology industries and position Malaysia as an internationally competitive hub for innovation and TVET.

Various engaging activities were held throughout the programme, including Japanese cultural exhibitions, education and career sharing sessions, exposure to opportunities for further studies in Japan, interactions with representatives of Japanese industries, and sharing sessions on future technologies and innovations.

An Origami Competition, exhibitions, and faculty visits were also held.

The programme not only provided students with opportunities to gain a closer understanding of Japanese culture and its education system but also opened avenues for exploring new collaboration opportunities in TVET, research, innovation, and human capital development.

The forum featured industry representatives comprising Managing Director of ALPS Electric, Wataru Tezuka; Chief Representative of JICA Malaysia, Daisuke Ueda; and Senior General Manager, Advanced Devices Division, DENSO, Kiyonaga Fujii.

Also participating were Production Technology Advisor of KANEKA, Tomoyuki Ishida, and Chief Operating Officer of Isuzu Hicom, Kazutaka Watanabe.

By: Mimi Rabita Abd Wahit, Centre for Corporate Communications

Translation by: Ts. Dr. Rozaimi Abu Samah, UMPSA Press