From September 15 to 18, a delegation from NAIST, consisting of faculty and staff, led by Dr. Kazuhiro Shiozaki (President) visited Malaysia to hold the 2nd J-PEAKS International Joint Symposium - NAIST Malaysia Alumni Association Kickoff Symposium. The delegation also visited Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR), the University of Malaya, and the Embassy of Japan in Malaysia.

 On Monday, September 15, the 2nd J-PEAKS International Joint Symposium - NAIST Malaysia Alumni Association (MNAA) Kickoff Symposium - was held in Cyberjaya. President Shiozaki first presented NAIST's future vision following its selection for the "Program for Forming Japan's Peak Research Universities (J-PEAKS), expressing the university's intent to further strengthen its collaboration with the academic community in Southeast Asia and contribute to addressing various societal challenges. He also voiced his hope that with the establishment of the NAIST Malaysia Alumni Association (MNAA), opportunities for alumni to play active roles would further expand. In response, Dr. Wong, President of the Alumni Association, conveyed his respect for Japan's alumni culture and his hope that the formation of a strong alumni network would support NAIST's objectives in the Southeast Asian region. Following this, Mr. Kitaoka, Councilor at the Embassy of Japan in Malaysia, acknowledged NAIST's contributions in the fields of science and technology and student exchange, and shared his anticipation for the launch of MNAA, adding that it would contribute to further academic exchange between Japan and Malaysia, as well as the promotion of future student exchanges. Subsequently, an award ceremony was held to recognize contributions to NAIST and to its international exchange activities. President Shiozaki presented NAIST International Exchange Service Awards and the MNAA Appreciation Certificates were introduced by the MNAA President Dr. Wong. Commendation certificates and commemorative gifts were presented to the respective awardees.

 On Wednesday, September 17, the delegation moved to Kampar City and paid a courtesy visit to the Vice President of Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR). Vice President Dr. Zuraidah expressed deep gratitude for NAIST's dedicated efforts since the conclusion of the academic exchange agreement in 2013, and shared hopes for continued collaboration, including intellectual property sharing and cultural exchange. In response, President Shiozaki acknowledged UTAR as one of NAIST's particularly important partner institutions and stated that further promotion of exchange would lead to a mutually beneficial relationship for both universities.

 On Thursday, September 18, the delegation visited the University of Malaya, where they paid courtesy visits to the Vice President and the Dean of the Faculty of Science, after which a joint symposium was held. Vice President Dr. Kaharudin of the University of Malaya outlined the foundational areas of collaboration with NAIST and shared his outlook for the future. In turn, President Shiozaki introduced NAIST's organizational structure and highlighted examples of its research activities expressing hopes for the further development of diverse forms of collaboration, including existing joint research. The joint symposium was divided into sessions based on specific research domains. After presentations of research cases by faculty and researchers from both institutions, more specialized discussions were held regarding future research collaboration between the two universities.

 In the afternoon, the delegation paid a courtesy visit to H.E. Mr. Takayuki Shikata, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Malaysia, at the Embassy of Japan. Against the backdrop of changing global circumstances, an exchange of views took place on the importance of academic and educational exchange between Japanese and Malaysian universities. Ambassador Shikata expressed strong expectations for the further development of such exchanges between Malaysian universities and NAIST.

 Through this visit, further strengthening of educational and research collaboration as well as information exchange between NAIST and its partner institutions in Malaysia - and ultimately between Japan and Malaysia - is expected.