News & Information

Department of Economics Dialogues Party 2018

The annual Dialogues reunion party is now a regular fixture on the Department of Economics calendar. The event was inaugurated five years ago to allow current students participating in short-visit, short-stay Dialogue programs to interact and network with their seniors, most of whom are now young professionals working in various fields. This year, around 50 graduates, current students and associated faculty came together to celebrate at an Italian restaurant in Minato Mirai, Yokohama. The party this year expanded to include students and veterans of our regular Study Abroad program. This allowed students about to go off on one-year sojourns to Malta, the USA, Scotland and Australia to meet with veterans of student exchange to these locations.

This year, Euro-Japan Dialogue will visit Portugal and Spain, Asia Dialogue participants will travel to China, and GAEF (Global Applied Economics Forum) will travel to American University in Washington DC. All of the Dialogue programs are student-centered, and student-led. Participants at this year’s party included former students who found employment with Bank of Japan, Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley, Chuo Rokin, and Tokyo Kaijo, as well as some pursuing post-graduate study at Hitotsubashi University, and Tokyo University. They were able to give the current students the benefit of their experience on the Dialogue programs, and also tips on success in job-hunting.

The three Dialogues began in 2006 with Euro-Japan Dialogue, which encompassed a visit to two European universities, University of Erfurt in Germany and University Paris-Est Creteil in France. Since then, over 140 YNU students have visited 23 universities in 15 European countries, presenting and debating on various topics including Nuclear Power, Inequality, Japan’s ‘Bubble’ years, and the Eurozone crisis. Asia Dialogue began in 2010, and includes reciprocal visits to YNU by our Chinese partners. GAEF, which dates from 2013, allows veteran students to use the skills they have gained on previous sojourns abroad. The program has visited universities in Thailand, Melbourne, Stockholm and Houston.

The memories and anecdotes of the party provided evidence once more that The Dialogues contribute greatly to the international education aims of the Department of Economics and YNU. They will continue to nurture global citizens who can function competently in cross-cultural business and social settings both within Japan, and on the global stage.

Party participants
Party participants
Party participants
Party participants