Invited to Taiwan by the Ministry of Education, a three-member delegation led by Deputy Governor Noriaki Fujimoto of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, visited National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST) on May 13th (2026) to discuss academic exchange. The delegation was warmly received by Dr. Yi-Hsien Lin, Dean of the College of Agriculture; Dr. Hsing-Ying Chung, Director of the Green Energy Bio-Factory; Dr. Pei-Hsuan Lee, Assistant Professor of the Bachelor of Program in Scientific Agriculture; and Ms. Wan-Lin Cheng, Lecturer-level Researcher.
The delegation first visited the College of Agriculture, where Director Hsing-Ying Chung delivered a presentation introducing two of NPUST’s primary research facilities: the Advanced Phenotyping Agriculture Lab and the Green Energy Greenhouse. A field tour of these research facilities and their equipment followed, allowing the guests to learn about NPUST’s smart agriculture development, crop monitoring, and greenhouse management. Afterward, the delegation proceeded to the President’s Office to engage in exchange discussions with NPUST President Dr. Chin-Lung Chang, Vice President for Education Affairs Dr. Fang-Ming Lin, College of Agriculture Dean Yi-Hsien Lin, and Deputy Office of International Affairs Director Dr. Kun-Yu Liu.
President Chin-Lung Chang stated that NPUST has long been dedicated to promoting agricultural technology, sustainable development, and international cooperation. He expressed his hopes that NPUST can establish closer cooperative relations with Kagoshima Prefecture and its affiliated institutions in the future—expanding opportunities through academic research, talent exchange, and technology sharing. Vice Governor Noriaki Fujimoto expressed his desire to deepen future exchanges with NPUST by facilitating partnerships between NPUST and universities within Kagoshima Prefecture, thereby fostering development in agricultural technology and talent cultivation for both sides.
This visit coincided with the 2nd anniversary of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between the Pingtung County Government and Japan’s Kagoshima Prefecture. Both regions possess rich agricultural resources and similar climatic conditions, offering immense potential for cooperation and exchange in smart agriculture, sustainable development, and regional revitalization. Through this interaction with the Kagoshima delegation, NPUST hopes to further strengthen higher education links between Taiwan and Japan in agriculture and related fields. By actively promoting faculty and student exchanges, research collaboration, and industry-academia interaction, both parties aim to jointly cultivate agricultural technology talent with international perspectives and practical professional skills, opening new opportunities for Taiwan-Japan academic cooperation and regional exchange.
