H.E. Dato’ Ahmad Rozian, Ambassador-designate of Malaysia to Japan, received a delegation from the Malaysia-Japan Academic Association (MJAA) at the Malaysian Embassy on 12 August 2026.

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On Wednesday, 12 August 2026, a delegation from the Malaysian Japan Academia Association (MJAA), led by its Founder and Director, Dr. Amy Poh Ai Ling, conducted a significant courtesy visit to the Embassy of Malaysia in Tokyo. The delegation was warmly received by H.E. Dato’ Rozian Abdul Ghani, the Ambassador of Malaysia to Japan, along with Mr. Zainal Azlan Mohd Nadzir Deputy Chief of Mission / Minister, Mr. Radzween Abdul Razak Minister-Counsellor (Political), Ms. Nora Azlinda Jaapar Counsellor (Politico-Economy) / Head of Chancery, Counselor Mr. Hairul and other embassy officials. This meeting served as a vital platform to discuss the strategic growth of academic and research collaboration between the two nations.

During the session, Dr. Amy Poh introduced the MJAA ecosystem, emphasizing its role in bridging the gap between academia, industry, and government, a strategy designed to solve the “innovation trilemma”. The association is currently focusing on five specialized research clusters: Semiconductor Ecosystem, Biotechnology, AI-driven Energy Systems, Circular Economy, and Culture, Heritage, and Society.

The delegation highlighted the proven impact of their flagship activities, such as the MJVC 2024 at the University of Tokyo, which resulted in the publication of an 892-page academic proceeding with Springer Nature. This publication, now established as a recurring series, showcases the high quality of bilateral research being conducted by Malaysian and Japanese scholars.

A core theme of the meeting was youth and talent development. The MJAA also proposed new initiatives to support fresh graduates, including talent management workshops focusing on CV writing and interview skills, recommending Prof. Shari Yusof and Madam Nurmizurin Mohd Rashidi. MJAA also proposed leveraging the expertise of successful entrepreneurs within the association like Prof. Set Sze Yun and Prof. Lioe De Xing for an entreuprenurship workshop.

The Chair of MJVC+1 2026, Prof. Lioe De Xing provided an update on the upcoming Malaysia-Japan Visionaries Conference (MJVC) 2026, which will be held in Hiroshima from December 5th to 7th. Under the theme of “Co-creating a Sustainable Future,” the conference aims to integrate academia with societal impact, featuring sessions on peace-building and high-level plenary forums with industry leaders.

Looking further ahead, H.E. Ambassador Prof. Horie Masahiko shared inspiring progress on the “Look Malaysia” initiative in Toyama City, where over 80 matches have been made between local Japanese schools and Malaysian counterparts. This momentum will culminate in the MJVC 2028 to be hosted in Toyama during the famous “snow wall” season in April, as explained by Prof. Chong Fatt Seng.

H.E. Dato’ Rozian Abdul Ghani expressed the Embassy’s continuous support for MJAA’s mission to enhance education cooperation, a key pillar of the bilateral relationship. Looking toward 2027, which marks the 70th anniversary of Malaysia-Japan diplomatic relations, the Ambassador suggested organizing a special symposium or roundtable to celebrate this historic milestone.

The visit concluded with a mutual commitment to transforming academic connections into meaningful collaborations and tangible outcomes that benefit both nations and the wider Asian region

1. Horie Masahiko
2. Amy Poh Ai Ling
3. Lioe De Xing
4. Chong Fatt Seng
5. Sugimoto Ichiro
6. Set Sze Yun
7. Teah Heng Yi
8. Muhamad Firdaus Ali
9. Ahmad Hafiz Zaini
10. Phoon Hon Chun
11. Desmond Goh Cheng Twan
12. Lee Ke Zhen
13. Muaz Fariz
14. Dahlia Sheherazade Aishah
15. Kok Yu Hui

Updated on 13 August 2026