The Munk School of Global Affairs has received a $5 million donation from the Government of Japan. First announced by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the Japan-Canada summit meeting last May, the donation was formally presented to U of T on March 30.
Last May, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced plans to support Japanese studies in Canadian universities. U of T is the first Canadian university to receive such a donation from Japan.
The donation allows for the recruitment of an expert in Japanese politics, who will be designated as the endowment chair. The chair will have a permanent presence within the Munk School and will lead the Centre for the Study of Global Japan.
The ceremony began with opening remarks from Meric Gertler, President of U of T. He thanked Japanese government official Yasunori Nakayama, who is the Consul General of Japan in Toronto; Gertler spoke of the importance of Japan as one of Canada’s partners and diversity of Japanese studies at U of T.
Following Gertler’s speech, Nakayama emphasized the common values and responsibilities that Canada and Japan share as countries of the G7 for global problems. He expects that this support from the Japanese government will be one step to achieve that goal.
“Japan and Canada, as members of G7 countries that share common values, have a responsibility to make contributions to the world community that ensure peace and prosperity,” said Nakayama. “It is… imperative that our academic institutions are able to conduct extensive research that allows us to properly understand each other.”
