Akita Prefectural University has signed a comprehensive agreement with the University of Tokyo on collaboration and cooperation. The aim is to utilize the advanced knowledge of the University of Tokyo to solve problems facing Akita Prefecture, such as the fastest-growing population in Japan, and global issues such as accelerating climate change, and the two universities will also cooperate in developing human resources who can contribute to solving these problems.
According to Akita Prefectural University, the signing ceremony for the agreement was held at the Akita Prefectural Office in Akita City, Akita Prefecture, and President Hiroo Fukuda of Akita Prefectural University and Vice President Hiroaki Aihara of the University of Tokyo signed the agreement. The areas of collaboration are wide-ranging, including joint research, mutual use of facilities and equipment, and contributions to the local community. The details are as follows:
・Joint research
Promoting joint research on the development of highly accurate methods for measuring carbon dioxide absorption and storage in forests, the development of renewable energy sources in rural areas, the application of climate change predictions to agriculture, forestry and fisheries, and the creation of agricultural technologies that take climate change into account.
・Teacher and staff exchange
Cross-appointment employment of University of Tokyo faculty members at the time of the establishment of the Future Green Digital Science Interdisciplinary Program, lectures by University of Tokyo faculty members at the Akita Prefectural University President's Seminar, and mutual training for administrative staff
・Student exchange
Tokyo University students doing practical training at the Ogata Campus farm, Akita Prefectural University students doing practical training at Tokyo University
- Development and mutual use of educational materials
Use of online learning materials from the University of Tokyo's Center for University Education and Research, on-demand learning materials at Akita Prefectural University, and joint development of an interdisciplinary marine education program
・Mutual use of facilities and equipment
Use of the Ogata Campus farmland and Akita Prefectural University athletic facilities by faculty and students of the University of Tokyo
・Contribution to local communities
Joint Symposium between the University of Tokyo and Akita Prefectural University
秋田県の人口は1956年の約135万人をピークに減少を続け、2024年7月に104年ぶりに90万人を下回った。2050年までに56万人に減少し、65歳以上が全人口に占める割合を示す高齢化率が全国の都道府県で初めて50％を超すと予測されている。
There are concerns about the impact of climate change on agriculture, the main industry, and the declining population has led to the disappearance of commercial facilities in the region, with some prefectures opening supermarkets instead. The negative effects of a declining birthrate and aging population, as well as other global issues, are becoming more and more apparent in this area, and it is considered a leading model for solving the problems Japan will face in the future.
