The Asia Education Leader Course (AELC) opened the Winter 2026 Pre-Study Series with a dynamic lecture from Prof. Sarah Asada, Kyoritsu Women’s University titled: From Mobility to Mutuality: Higher Education, Diplomacy, and Forging Futures in Asia. The lecture was attended by nearly 50 participants from all five AELC partner institutions.

While mobility has been the cornerstone of higher education internationalization in literature and practice, Prof. Asada invited participants to consider mobility through the lens of diplomacy (or diplomacies), introducing a new dimension to micro- (individual) and macro- (organization, state, geopolitical) level outcomes of mobility. Using a framework identifying types of diplomacy and layers of mobility rationales and outcomes, Prof. Asada presented two case studies illustrating how mobility has and can become diplomacy in the Asian context, and what challenges remain.

In the breakout discussions, students debated the impact of higher education, mobility and diplomacy on the future of Asia, generating ideas as diverse as strengthening a Pan-Asian solidarity, further establishing universities in Asia as hubs for research, collaboration and innovation, and promoting peace in the region. Groups also addressed the challenges facing mobility and progress in the region, including geopolitical issues, brain drain and unhealthy competition. A highlight of the discussion was the realization that the AELC program itself is a form of academic mobility for diplomacy.

The AELC Secretariat would like to thank Prof. Asada and all participants for the stimulating lecture and discussion.

The next Pre-Study Session will be held on Friday, December 12, 2025 from 16:30-18:30 JST. We will be joined by Research Professor Hyojin Lee of Korea University for a lecture on Promoting Equity and Quality in Education through Technology-Enhanced Learning.

https://www.sed.tohoku.ac.jp/ireo/aelc/news/---id-450.html