The department study team led by Prof. Tolga ÖZŞEN consisting of 6 students, participated in the "Matsushita Konosuke Memorial Foundation Japanese Language and Culture Study Tour" as part of the 25th-anniversary activities from June 9 to June 28.

The department study team led by Prof. Tolga ÖZŞEN consisting of 6 students, participated in the "Matsushita Konosuke Memorial Foundation Japanese Language and Culture Study Tour" as part of the 25th-anniversary activities from June 9 to June 28. The team visited various cities, including Osaka, Kobe, Nara, Hyogo, Hiroshima, Nagoya, and Tokyo, engaging in various visits, meetings, and workshops, aside from cultural and historical observations.

One notable activity of our team was their participation in the "Turkish-Japanese Student Workshop" organized by the Sociology Department of Nara Women's University on June 15. During the workshop, our research group delivered presentations about Turkey and had the opportunity to attend classes related to Japanese society.

On June 18, our team attended a meeting in Hiroshima organized by the "Hiroshima-Çanakkale Friendship Society," which has been sending Japanese calendars to our university for 25 years. During the meeting, discussions were held to deepen the relations in the coming period. The visit of our department to Hiroshima and our 25 years of relations with Japan were covered in the Chūgoku Shimbun newspaper. On June 19, our student delegation visited Prof. Nakayama, a Turkish studies professor at Chubu University in Nagoya, and held a joint discussion with Prof. Nakayama's seminar group. During the Nagoya leg of our department's research trip to Japan on June 20, a visit was made to the Nagoya Consulate, where discussions took place with Consul-General Umut ÖZTÜRK regarding our university's Japanese studies and Turkish-Japanese relations. In Tokyo, the final leg of the trip on June 22 included a courtesy visit to our H.E. Korkut Güngen, Ambassador of Turkiye to Japan, providing an opportunity to discuss ÇOMÜ and Japanology studies in Turkey.

On June 24, during the Tokyo leg, our research team visited the Matsushita Institute of Government and Management, a school for entrepreneurs, politicians, and top-level executives, to learn about the institute's activities.

On the last day of the trip, June 26, our research team attended a meeting in Tokyo with the graduates living in Japan who have benefited from the same fund, at the invitation of Mr. Matsushita, the President of the Matsushita Konosuke Memorial Foundation, in honor of the 25th year of the program. Discussions were held on the current status of our graduates in Japan, potential future collaborations, and the future of the institutional relationship and research program between our department and the foundation. As a result of this meeting, an agreement was reached to organize a joint workshop with the Japanese Studies Department of Vietnam Hanoi University, which also benefits from the same fund, in October.

Upon returning to the country on June 28, our research team will present a comprehensive evaluation of the research trip in a face-to-face presentation at the faculty in October.