American University of Sovereign Nations is honored to have signed an Academic Cooperation Agreement with Ritsumeikan APU, and this started with the cohosting of the Fifteenth Asian Bioethics Conference (ABC15) in November 2014, APU was established in April 2000 under the principals of “freedom, peace, and humanity”, “international mutual understanding” and “the future shape of the Asia Pacific region” thanks to the cooperation of Oita Prefecture, Beppu City, and many more supporters in Japan and around the world. APU is currently home to over 5,700 students from approximately 80 different countries and regions. Half the students are international, and they welcome students and researchers from AUSN.

We live in a world undergoing rapid change on a daily basis. While it is predicted that the global population, lead by Asia, will increase by a further 2 billion by the year 2050, there appears to be no end to Japan’s trend towards a declining population. Many economies throughout Asia are experiencing rapid growth and forging ahead with globalization. It is inevitable too that the Japanese society and business also push ahead with globalization. It is precisely for this reason that the Japanese business sector demands ambitious and globally-minded graduates with the ability to stand their ground in tough negotiations in a multicultural and multilingual environment. The question is now being raised as to whether Japanese universities can meet this demand and produce this kind of globally-minded graduate. Prof. Nader Ghotbi has been collaborating with Darryl Macer for a decade on bioethics education.