On 22 April 2011 the Australian Prime Minister, the Hon Julia Gillard MP, announced a package of education assistance to Japan in response to the Great East Japan Earthquake. The Prime Minister’s Program of Education Assistance for Japan strengthened ties and established new relationships between Australian and Japanese institutions, through the two-way exchange of over 100 academics, researchers and students in 2011 and 2012.

Academics and researchers were most involved in joint-research in biological, chemical, engineering and medical fields. Expertise sharing between universities was a focus of collaboration, with participants involved in education development, including teacher training and internationalisation at Japanese universities.

Australian and Japanese undergraduate students were particularly interested in language exchange. About half those engaged in the program were students from hard-hit Japanese universities, (including Miyagi University, Fukushima University, Tohoku University and Miyagi University of Education) engaged in English language study tours in Australia, tailored to their degrees.

Examples of research and exchange activity under the Program are available here.