Emperor Naruhito visits kōsen technical school in Mongolia
The school is one of three Japanese-style kōsen colleges that were opened in Ulaanbaatar in 2014 by Mongolians who studied at kōsen schools in Japan, with Japanese support.
It has five departments, including mechanical engineering, and offers five-year programs to train engineers. About 40% of its graduates are employed in Japan.
At the school, Emperor Naruhito, who is on an official visit to Mongolia with Empress Masako, received an explanation from its principal. The emperor saw robots and other devices built by students and described them as "impressive."
Also, he congratulated a 20-year-old former student who graduated from the school last month on getting a job in Tokyo starting in October.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako interact with students at a public school in Ulaanbaatar on Wednesday. |
Jiji
Later in the day, the emperor was joined by Empress Masako for visits to a public school and the Mongolia-Japan Hospital, which is affiliated with a Mongolian national university. Both facilities were established with grant aid from the Japanese government.
At the school, the imperial couple applauded songs and dances by students and interacted with them.
On Wednesday evening, Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako met with eight Japanese expatriates at a hotel in Ulaanbaatar.
Among the eight people were Aya Kon, 84, who publishes a Japanese-language journal on Mongolia, and Reiko Nakanishi, a teacher at a local school.
The imperial couple asked questions, such as how they came to live in Mongolia.
Asked what she would like to share with people in Japan, Kon replied, "I want to tell them about Mongolian nomads' simple and relaxed life."
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako are on an eight-day state visit to Mongolia until Sunday.
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