In-person Event in Tokyo Introducing MBZUAI
In-person Event in Tokyo Introducing MBZUAI
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Next-Generation AI Research and Career Opportunities: Expanding Horizons Between Japan and the UAE.
Next-Generation AI Research and Career Opportunities: Expanding Horizons Between Japan and the UAE.
In December 2025, The Asahi Shimbun Middle East Holdings collaborated with MBZUAI (Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence) to host MBZUAI’s first standalone, public-facing event in Japan—a large-scale, student-focused program in Tokyo that introduced Abu Dhabi’s rapidly expanding AI research ecosystem to the next generation in Japan.
Client
Client
Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence
Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence
Location
Location
Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo, Japan
Date
Date
December 15th, 2025
December 15th, 2025
Our Challenges
Our Challenges
Despite the UAE’s rise as a global AI hub, awareness of MBZUAI among Japanese students and early‑career researchers was limited.
The initiative sought to raise MBZUAI’s recognition in Japan by clearly communicating its academic strengths, scholarships, and admissions pathway.
It also aimed to reshape perceptions of the Middle East among younger audiences by highlighting the UAE’s leadership in AI fields such as multilingual LLMs and robotics..
It also provided practical information on studying, researching, and living in Abu Dhabi, addressing concerns about safety, climate, cost of living, and language environment.
Solutions and Key Points
Solutions and Key Points
Leveraging its extensive experience in organizing major public forums and symposia in Japan (such as the Asahi World Forum), The Asahi Shimbun delivered a comprehensive, end-to-end engagement—covering planning, program design, speaker selection, production, on-site operations, and audience management in a seamless workflow.
The three-hour program was structured around the themes of learn, explore, ask, and connect, blending academic depth with practical career pathways:
Keynotes by MBZUAI leadership and faculty: Senior representative introduced MBZUAI’s vision, majors and research styles, scholarships, campus life, and an admissions roadmap tailored for Japanese students.
Panel discussions: Sessions explored Japan–Middle East talent collaboration and current trends in AI research (ML/NLP/CV/Robotics), while also featuring active newspaper journalists who brought reporting rigor and audience‑focused questions to the academic dialogue. In addition, business leaders joined the discussions to examine industry collaboration and the future of AI from a corporate perspective.
Youth roundtable from Abu Dhabi: Young residents shared their real-life experiences in Abu Dhabi—covering safety, climate, cost of living, and support for women—offering first-hand insights rarely available in Japan.
Networking & one‑to‑one advising: After the main program, participants took part in advisory sessions and networking, paving the way for concrete next steps for study, internships, and collaborative research.
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