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The first exchange meeting with foreign caregivers and medical professionals for the 2026 academic year was held at the Fukuoka Fukuoka CampusFukuoka Campus

On Saturday, June 6, 2026, the first exchange meeting with foreign caregivers and medical professionals for the 2026 academic year was held at Teikyo University's Fukuoka Campus. This initiative, which has been implemented since 2023, aims to allow foreign caregivers and medical professionals working in Japan under the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) and students of this campus to share diverse values and deepen mutual understanding.

This time, we welcomed individuals from Indonesia, the Philippines, Myanmar, and Nepal who are supporting the nursing care and medical fields in Omuta City, Fukuoka Prefecture, and deepened their exchange with our university students.
At the exchange meeting, themed "Let's find what's important – What would you value in a 'what if' situation?", participants divided into groups and discussed "how they would like to spend the final stages of their lives" using hypothetical cards. This was also an initiative to deepen understanding of advance care planning (ACP: life conference), which involves sharing wishes in preparation for a situation where the individual is no longer able to communicate their wishes, and it was an important learning opportunity for the students.
Participating healthcare professionals commented that "it was meaningful to share differences in religion, culture, and values" and "I gained a deeper understanding of life in Japan," and their respectful dialogue about each other's backgrounds was impressive. Furthermore, the content of the exchanges became even richer with each session. At the tea party, conversations flowed freely over Japanese sweets, transcending differences in nationality and culture, creating a warm atmosphere filled with smiles. Topics ranged from work and life in Japan to the cultures of their home countries, and the students and healthcare professionals seemed to naturally become comfortable with each other.

This exchange program serves as a learning opportunity for healthcare professionals and students from diverse cultural backgrounds to understand each other's values and deepen their understanding of diversity in healthcare and nursing care. For the students, it was a highly valuable opportunity to cultivate an international perspective and enhance the communication skills necessary for their future professional careers. It is hoped that continued exchanges will further deepen mutual learning and lead to richer international collaboration.

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