On March 15th 2023, Vice Provost for Faculty, Diane Kelly-Riley, of the University of Idaho (U of I) and her colleagues, payed a courtesy call to the Kasumi Campus of Hiroshima University (HU) and engaged in discussion with HU President Mitsuo Ochi. The meeting was also attended by Executive Vice President in charge of Global Initiatives and Research and Academia-Government-Community Collaboration, Shinji Kaneko, and Executive Vice President in charge of Kasumi Campus, Faculty Personnel and Public Relations, Junko Tanaka.

During the meeting, views were exchanged on the history of exchange and future academic collaboration between the two universities. After the meeting, a signing ceremony for an inter-university exchange agreement was held.

The exchange between the two universities began in 1951 when Tatsuo Morito, the first president of Hiroshima University, requested donations from universities around the world to help rebuild and green his university. U of I donated 3 dollars, tree seeds, and books on forestry. An A-bomb related event entitled “Remembering Hiroshima” held at U of I in September 2022 led to this visit and the conclusion of an academic exchange agreement.

At the Higashi-Hiroshima Campus, which was visited prior to the Kasumi Campus, the participants had a meeting to discuss future exchanges, and also toured the university’s Botanical Garden, Phoenix International Center MIRAI CREA, and the Hiroshima University Museum.

Going forward, we hope that through this visit and the conclusion of an inter-university exchange agreement, collaboration with U of I and other universities and research institutions in the US will be furthered.