President Ochi Holds a Meeting with H.E. Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt

@Spokesman for the Egyptian Presidency

On April 29, 2026, President Mitsuo Ochi of Hiroshima University(HU) paid a courtesy call on H.E. Mr. Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, during his stay in Cairo, and held a meeting with him. The meeting was attended by Executive Vice President(Global Initiatives) Shinji Kaneko, as well as H.E. Mr. Fumio Iwai, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Egypt, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, and Minister of Education and Technical Education Mohamed Abdel Latif.

At the outset of the meeting, President el-Sisi expressed his warm welcome for President Ochi’s visit to Egypt. He also conveyed his recognition and appreciation for the steady progress in educational cooperation between Japan and Egypt over the past decade, since a request for cooperation was made to then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, under the dedicated efforts of Minister Abdel Latif. President el-Sisi expressed his deep respect for the character and values of the Japanese people, and his strong interest in learning from Japan’s approach to education and human resource development, which he considers to be the foundation of these qualities, with a view to incorporating them into Egypt. Furthermore, he expressed his gratitude for the memoranda of understanding recently concluded among HU, SPRIX Inc., and the Ministry of Education and Technical Education, concerning a Japanese-style elementary school teacher training program and an online assessment for financial literacy.

Subsequently, Minister Abdel Latif reported that the online proficiency test in AI and programming, which was concluded among the same three parties in October last year, has also been progressing steadily, with approximately one million Egyptian students, mainly those in high school, having already taken the test.

In response, President Ochi expressed his gratitude for HU being selected as a partner in this important initiative to introduce Japanese-style education in Egypt. He also stated that the university will make every possible effort to provide support, in close collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Technical Education and Japanese advisors working at Egypt-Japan Schools(EJS).

Toward the conclusion of the meeting, President el-Sisi expressed his expectations for advice from President Ochi, who has extensive experience not only in education but also in the medical field, regarding a planned new hospital. He also outlined a vision for a newly established university to become an “Egyptian version of Hiroshima University,” incorporating HU’s curriculum and educational methods, and requested further cooperation in both education and healthcare.

Taking the opportunity during the meeting, President Ochi presented President el-Sisi with a “Letter for Peace” entrusted to him by Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui. The letter conveyed hopes for understanding and cooperation with the Mayors for Peace initiative, which aims to achieve the abolition of nuclear weapons and the realization of lasting peace, thereby delivering a message of world peace from Hiroshima, a city that experienced an atomic bombing. In addition, hopes for a future visit to Hiroshima were expressed so that President el-Sisi could directly learn about the realities of the atomic bombing.

HU will continue to strengthen its collaboration with Egyptian universities, government agencies, and companies, and will actively promote further exchanges.