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Home >  International Exchange >  Global Center

Global Center


In addition to assisting Japanese students with studying abroad, the Global Center provides language and living support for students from overseas.

About the Global Center

The Global Center provides support for training and studying abroad and assistance to students from overseas as well as overall support for the Overseas Program in which all students participate in their second year. The Overseas Program is not a short-term language training, but an order-made program for students from each department to acquire specialized knowledge relating to their field of study.

Main Services

Support for Overseas Program and study abroad
  • Student counseling
  • Support for study abroad
  • Support during study abroad
  • Cultivating study abroad destinations
  • Signing of agreements with overseas universities and more
Support for students from overseas
  • Support for incoming students
  • Japanese language and cultural learning support
  • Living support and more

Contact Information

Open Hours: Monday-Friday: 8:30-17:15
※Except national holidays

Phone: +81-26-462-1444
Fax: +81-26-235-0026
Email: global@u-nagano.ac.jp

Message from the Director of the Global Center

Throughout 30 years of my international career - from the alps mountains in Europe where I worked at a Geneva-based United Nations/Swiss Education Institution, to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia where I worked at the University of Melbourne/US MNC, I have had the great privileged to work with both public and private-sector professionals from different regions of the world. It was also a great privilege for me to support over 500 international /domestic students participated in the student mobility programmes and develop more than 40 institutional innovation partnerships at a global level.

The benefits of student mobility programmes are obvious – studying abroad experiences nurture open-mindedness, tolerance, and cross-cultural awareness to name a few.
I have come across plenty of business, academic, and government professionals worldwide who had participated in either student mobility programmes or other types of international education programmes in his/her youth (including my EU spouse/fmr. Erasmus student). The experience from those student mobility programmes prepares students to come to grips with challenges of the current and future at the local and global level. I believe that the student mobility projects could play a significant part of building next generation of global leaders.

The Global Center provides overall support for studying abroad and assistance to students from overseas as well as general support for the Overseas Program. We are here for all students from different regions of the world. We hope to welcome you in Nagano, the Heart of Japan - the Land of the Rising Sun.

'Some men see things as they are and say why, I dream things that never were and say, why not' George Bernard Shaw

Prof. M. Shimura - Director, Global Center
Master of International Relations (Macquarie Uni., Sydney) Grad.Dip.Ed (Curtin Uni., Perth) B.Econ
Fmr. Geneva-based United Nations Agency (WIPO) Professional
Fmr. Director of a Tokyo-based UK MNC listed on London Stock Exchange
Member of Japan Association for United Nations Studies (JAUNS)
Member of the Japan Forum on International Relations (JFIR)
Member of International Society for Education (ISE)
Member of International Education Association of Australia (IEAA)

Snapshots of International Ceremonies and Events supported by the Global Center (GC)
at the University of Nagano (UN)

The top-left photo (left to right) GC Director/Prof. Shimura, UN Chairman/Mr. Ando, Missouri Governor & First Lady
at reception on the occasion of the visit of the Missouri Business Mission lead by Missouri Governor
at the US Ambassador’s Residence in Tokyo on October 2023

The top-left photo (left to right) Delegation Head of China’s Hebei Univ., GC Director/Prof. Shimura
during a courtesy visit to our campus on August 2023

Asst. Director of UK’s University of Leicester (center) and GC Director/Prof. Shimura (2nd from the left)
during a courtesy visit to our campus on March 2023

UN Chairman, Mr. Ando (3rd from the right in the 2nd raw), GC Director, Prof. Shimura (next to Mr. Ando)
at the Welcome Ceremony for Finnish Gov. delegates held on June 7, 2022

UN President, Prof. Kindaichi (right) and GC Director, Prof. Shimura
at the Nagano Government Press Center held on March 23, 2022
regarding the official announcement of joining the United Nations-led “Academic Impact”

GC Director, Prof. Shimura (second from top right) as a Moderator
at Karelia/Finland-Nagano Government-led Int’l Conference held on February 23, 2022

UN Chairman, Mr. Ando (2nd from the left), UN President, Prof. Kindaichi (2nd from the right)
GC Director, Prof. Shimura (left) at the Welcome Ceremony for a guest researcher (center)
from the Communication University of China held on September 6, 2022

US Merced College President, Mr. Vitelli (2nd from the left) and his delegates paid a courtesy visit to
UN Chairman, Mr. Ando (3rd from the left) and GC Director, Prof. Shimura (left) on October 7,2022.

Canadian Acadia University Professor Vibert (center) paid a courtesy visit to
UN President, Prof. Kindaichi (left) and GC Director, Prof. Shimura (right) on December 9, 2022

UN President, Prof. Kindaichi (right in the top right photo) and GC Director, Prof. Shimura (left)
at the Online Signing Ceremony for Student Exchange Agreement with Karelia University of Applied Sciences, Finland
on December, 2022