Event Report

On September 16th, 2026 the Kyushu University Forum "KYUDAI NOW Ulaanbaatar" was held at the Soyombo Hall, Best Western Premier Tuushin Hotel in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. This forum, organized by Kyushu University Institute for Asian and Oceanian Studies (Q-AOS), aimed to share our latest research achievements with local and international communities, promote academic exchange, and strengthen the bonds within our alumni network. This marked the third KYUDAI NOW event in Mongolia, with the participation of nearly 100 event goers, including alumni, former and prospective students, and academic affiliates. Assoc. Prof. Wakako Satomura served as Chair of the Organizing Committee, and Assist. Prof. Heloisa Seratiuk Flores as sub-chief.


Group photo at the opening of KYUDAI NOW Ulaanbaatar 2026 (September 16, 2026)


Our forum began with welcome remarks from Prof. Akira Harata, Deputy Director-General of Q-AOS and Executive Assistant to the President of Kyushu University. We were honored to have guest speeches from Dr. Dashdorj Zorigt, Former Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy of Mongolia, and H.E. Mr. Masaru Igawahara, Ambassador of Japan to Mongolia. The forum then proceeded with two sessions, the first on entrepreneurship, medicine, and law, and the second about science and engineering. In each sessions faculty members from Japan and from Mongolia gave lectures.

The first session began with an introduction to Kyushu University and Q-AOS by Assoc. Prof. Qian Kun of Q-AOS. This was followed by a Mongolian faculty member of the Robert T. Huang Entrepreneurship Center (Q-REC), Kyushu University, Assist. Prof. Enkhzaya Nergui, who introduced her research on the impact of entrepreneurship education on university students. Following, we had a presentation by Prof. Eishi Baba from the Department of Comprehensive Oncology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, about precision oncology for gastrointestinal cancers in Japan. The next presentation was about Japanese commercial law as business law, given in Japanese and Mongolian by Prof. Minoru Tokumoto, Executive Assistant to the President and Professor, Faculty of Law, Kyushu University. The last presentation in the first session introduced the audience to student life at Kyushu University, and to ways of joining our university as a foreign student. This presentation was given by Mr. Tatsuya Kono, Director, International Student Exchange Division, International Affairs Department, Kyushu University.

During the coffee break two Ph.D. students of the Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Engineering Sciences, Kyushu University presented posters: M.Sc. Kyzy Altynai Abdirashit, and M.Sc. Rini Selly. The two Ph.D. candidates presented their research about biomass and renewable thermal energy sources to event goers, actively answering questions.


View of the venue (September 16, 2026)


Our second session started with a speech by Prof. Jun-Ichiro Hayashi, of the Institute for Materials Chemistry and Engineering, Kyushu University. This presentation focused on carbon neutral and negative biomass conversion and use. The following presentation was about visual data analysis with AI, and was given by Prof. Seiichi Uchida, Executive Vice President and part of the Faculty of Information Science and Electrical Engineering, Kyushu University. The next speech was given by video/online, as Prof. Yoshimi Sonoda, Executive Vice President and part of the Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu University, was unable to attend in person. The audience enjoyed his presentation about impact-induced concrete failure. Following, a Kyushu University alumnus, Dr. Amarbayar Jugdernamjil, now Director of the National Geotechnical Research Center, Mongolian University of Science and Technology (MUST), gave a presentation about geotechnical issues in Mongolia and possible research collaborations with Kyushu University in the future. Lastly, Ms. Noriko Furuya, Director, Kyushu University Fund Office, introduced the audience to Japan-Mongolia collaborations through the Kyushu University Fund.

To wrap up the forum, Assoc. Prof. Sarangerel Batbayar, Representative of the Alumni of Kyushu University in Mongolia and affiliated with the School of Law, National University of Mongolia, and Prof. Shuji Shimizu, Vice President Emeritus of Kyushu University, delivered closing remarks. The subsequent dinner reception provided an excellent opportunity for participants to deepen their exchanges in a warm and friendly atmosphere.

Scene from the dinner reception (September 16, 2026)


On the previous day, September 15th, delegations of Kyushu University were separated into teams and visited various Mongolian institutions, with the aim of strengthening bonds and developing future programs together. Our delegations visited the Mongolian Academy of Sciences (MAS), Mongolian University of Science and Technology (MUST), Mongolia Association of Civil Engineers (MACE), National University of Mongolia (NUM), Dentsu Data Artist Mongol (DDAM), and Mobicom.

(Names of persons met during the visits will be credited under the pictures)


Medical Chemistry Team: Panel discussion by the Medical Chemistry Team at the Integrated Complex of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences (MAS) (September 15, 2026)



Medical Chemistry Team: Group photo with the Medical Chemistry Team at the Mongolian Academy of Sciences (MAS) (September 15, 2026)

Front row, from 3rd left: Dr. S. Ariunaa, MAS Secretary General, Prof. Shuji Shimizu, Vice President Emeritus, Kyushu University, Dr. A. Bayarbaatar, Director, Presidium Office



AI Team: At Mongolian University of Science and Technology (MUST) (September 15, 2026)

Mr. Erdenekhuu N., Vice President of MUST, and Prof. Seiichi Uchida, Executive Vice President, Kyushu University



AI Team: At Mongolian Association of Civil Engineers (MACE) (September 15, 2026)

Mr. Gantulga B., President of MACE, and Prof. Seiichi Uchida, Executive Vice President, Kyushu University



AI Team: At National University of Mongolia (NUM) (September 15, 2026)

Prof. Seiichi Uchida, Executive Vice President, Kyushu University, giving a guest lecture on AI in the class of Prof. Oyun-Erdene, Department of Information Technology / Computer Science, National University of Mongolia (NUM)

AI Team: At Dentsu Data Artist Mongol (DDAM) (September 15, 2026)

Group photo with Ms. Hatsumi Suzuki, President of DDAM, and DDAM staff members

Our program was supported on site by Ms. Shiho Yoshizaki, Director, and Mr. Keigo Yoshida, Section Chief, and Mr. Yasuaki Wakiyama, Administrative Staff, Kyushu University Fund Office, with administrative staff Ms. Mika Ishizaki, International Office, Hospital Campus, Kyushu University Hospital.

This KYUDAI NOW event successfully built new networks between researchers and students from our university and Mongolia and is expected to lead to the further development of academic and personal exchanges in the future.