To promote student and educational exchange in the Asian region, and to nurture the youth's ability to live hand in hand with other young people of the world in an era of multicultural conviviality.
Our organization was established in 2008 with the aim of promoting student and educational exchange in Asia.
In today's diversifying society, there is a shift in the atmosphere where instead of accepting diversity from the outside within a national rule, countries are now leaping out of their boundaries and striving globally to be on a higher level in the world. AAEE aims to cultivate young minds who can challenge themselves by stepping out of their comfort zone and into the world.
AAEE aims to address common issues that transcend nations, regions, and cultures by engaging in communication with others. We work to nurture the ability of young people to think, act, and remain tolerant toward other cultures, thereby fostering creativity and action for solutions.
AAEE believes that "learning through exchange" involves reflecting upon oneself by using interactions with others as a mirror. Self-awareness and seld-establishments are essential in order to accept diverse others and to be a successful global citizen.
AAEE presents the AAEE Method for intercultural learning; a six-step process that is important in interacting and building a connection with diverse others.
Attraction - Having an interest in others one is interacting with, in oneself, and in one's surroundings in general.
Observation - Carefully observing others, one's environment, and other important factors.
Interaction - Actively participating in interacting with others.
Collaboration - Working together harmoniously.
Consideration - Thinking deeply and reviewing carefully.
Self-reflection and Verbalization - Re-thinking about oneself after interacting with others and verbalizing the experience.
Through our projects, AAEE strives to inspire young people to experience this six-step process and gain the following qualities;
Knowledge: To know a certain level of information in order to understand others' intentions and interests.
Thoughtfulness: To be able to think from other people's point of view, and to be able to care for others.
Flexibility: To set aside one's own standards when needed, and to deal with unexpected scenarios.
Tolerance for Ambiguity: To adapt without feeling stressed in uncertain situations
Judgment Avoidance: To temporarily set aside one's own values and empathize with the feelings of others
Respect: To make an effort to understand the other person in the right way and open the path to collaboration.
Dialogue: To introspect while being aware of the other person. To question one's own identity.
Student Exchange Programs
AAEE's student exchange programs are educational initiatives aimed at enhancing participants' multicultural understanding, intercultural communication skills, English language proficiency, and motivation to learn English, empowering them to become future leaders of international society. Since 2008, AAEE has been organizing international student exchange programs in various Asian countries, including Nepal, India, Thailand, and Vietnam. Recent programs, such as the Vietnam-Japan Exchange Program (VJEP) in Vietnam and the Mero Sathi Project in Nepal, have been held annually. AAEE has conducted a total of 25 programs, 9 in Vietnam and 16 in Nepal, since 2012. Beyond student exchange, AAEE has been actively involved in international cooperation projects and specific issue investigations. These initiatives encourage students from both countries to collaborate, think about global issues, build trust, and work together to address problems. For example, in Nepal, students from both countries led post-earthquake recovery efforts immediately after the earthquake. In Vietnam, discussions have focused on environmental and educational issues with an emphasis on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Since 2018, specific issue investigations have been conducted in each exchange program, emphasizing students' critical thinking about global challenges.
The Mero Sathi Project was initiated by Japanese AAEE students after the devastating earthquake in Nepal on April 25, 2015. "Mero Sathi" means "My Friend" in Nepali. Leveraging AAEE's Asian network, they quickly created support panels via social media and shared them with the world on the day of the earthquake, garnering a tremendous response. While originally an emergency project for earthquake recovery, it received strong support for its continuation as an international friendship project. By the end of 2017, it had been resumed as an international exchange program project and was widely recognized in Nepal. It has also been used as the name for international exchange programs held in Nepal.
Yagi-Koya (Goat Barns) Project
Utilizing funds raised through the Mero Sathi Project, the Yagi-Koya Project provides goat barns and breeding goats to earthquake victims and affected areas for income generation. Families raise goats and earn profits by selling them. AAEE Nepal has established a system where 50% of the profits are directed towards supporting education in the community.
Team Mero Sathi
Team Mero Sathi (TMS) is a new project launched by AAEE in 2018 that involves visiting middle and high schools to conduct outreach classes. As part of its awareness-raising activities, TMS aims to pass on insights and discoveries gained through direct experiences by lecturers who have participated in AAEE's international student exchange programs. This project is intended to benefit middle and high school students as they embark on journeys into the wider world. The objectives of TMS classes are:
Expand the breadth of diversity awareness and recognize its importance.
Find value in interacting with people of different languages and cultures.
Develop an awareness of one's existence in relation to others or others' presence.
A.A.E.E. NEPAL
A.A.E.E. NEPAL
A government-certified company based in the capital of Nepal, Kathmandu, established in 2016. Here is a brief explanation of its establishment.
Prof. Seki, our president, has been engaged in student exchange activities and educational support activities in Nepal since 2008. Among these activities, the most challenging issue was the outflow of talented young Nepali talent to foreign countries. In Nepal, a developing country, employment opportunities are overwhelmingly scarce, and many highly motivated university students are unable to find employment after graduation. As a result, students are constantly seeking opportunities for employment abroad.
In 2015, a highly enthusiastic Nepalese university professor, who had also served as the Attorney General, deeply impressed President Seki with his passionate conviction that "we must somehow keep talented individuals in Nepal to contribute to the country's development; otherwise, this country will never progress." Inspired by this, President Seki wanted to make a difference, and this became the catalyst for establishing the company. The idea was born to create a place where Nepali students could work domestically for the development of their own education. Since then, careful preparations were made, and in November 2016, the company finally received government approval. The main business activities include analyzing and proposing solutions to various issues in the field of education, primarily in Nepal, collaborating with foreign educational researchers interested in Nepal's education issues, supporting students, and organizing student events. The representative, Mr. Sharad Kumar Sharma, is a former student of that professor. He is a talented individual with a track record of receiving awards at numerous international conferences. Despite this, he has taken the bar exam in Nepal and is striving for the country's development. Other members of A.A.E.E. NEPAL are primarily young people. While most of the funds necessary for establishing the company were provided by President Seki personally, we hope to support the self-help efforts of Nepali staff in the future to ensure the company's continued operation.
▼Domestic (Japan)
March 2023： "The Essence of International Exchange: Thinking from the Three Perspectives of One's Self, Others, and Society" (at JICA Chikyu Hiroba, supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
December 2019: "Your NORMAL is not NORMAL - Feel and Learn Diversity in Nepal" and February Nepal Program Briefing Session (at JICA Chikyu Hiroba, supported by JICA Chikyu Hiroba)
November 2019: "Exchange, Friendship, and Global Partnership: Student Exchange Program in the Age of Multicultural Conviviality" (at JICA Chikyu Hiroba, supported by Ministry of Foreign Affairs and JICA Chikyu Hiroba)
May 2019: "What International Cooperation Can Be Done Only by Students - Case Study of International Student Exchange Program and Nepal Earthquake Reconstruction Support" (at JICA Chikyu Hiroba and JICA Kansai Center, supported by Ministry of Foreign Affairs and JICA Chikyu Hiroba)
November 2018: "AAEE's 10th Anniversary Special Program! 2-week International Student Exchange: A Step Toward Global Partnership" (at JICA Chikyu Hiroba, supported by Ministry of Foreign Affairs and JICA Chikyu Hiroba)
August 2018: Team Mero Sathi 1st "Mero Sathi Project: Students' Challenge - One Step Forward, the World Will Change" (at JICA Chikyu Hiroba, supported by JICA Chikyu Hiroba)
June 2018: Mero Sathi Project 2018 Lecture 2: "Learning from Nepal Support Activities - What We Want for Young People in Japan" (at Tokyo Keizai University, co-organized with Akinori Seki Seminar, Tokyo Keizai University)
May 2018: "AAEE 10th Anniversary Special Event! -Laughing, Learning, and Feeling Together: International Exchange and Cooperation That Only Students Can Do" (at JICA Chikyu Hiroba, supported by Ministry of Foreign Affairs and JICA Chikyu Hiroba)
November 2017: "Student Exchange in Asia: Seeing the Local, Thinking with Young People - From Imagination to Reality" (at JICA Chikyu Hiroba, supported by Ministry of Foreign Affairs and JICA Chikyu Hiroba)
July 2017: Charity Lecture by Mr. Kazumasa Kakimi (at Tokyo Keizai University, Room B102, co-organized with Akinori Seki Seminar, Tokyo Keizai University)
May 2017: "Thinking about Asian Youth and Future from SDGs" (at JICA Chikyu Hiroba, supported by Ministry of Foreign Affairs and JICA Chikyu Hiroba)
December 2016: "SDGs, Let's Build a Circle of Partnership - Towards a Sustainable World in 14 Years" (at Tokyo Keizai University, supported by Ministry of Foreign Affairs and JICA)
July 2016: Lecture by OK Bajaj (Kazumasa Kakimi, Nepalese aid worker) (at Tokyo Keizai University, co-organized with Akinori Seki Seminar, Tokyo Keizai University)
June 2016: Seminar held at JICA Chikyu Hiroba 10th Anniversary Thanksgiving Day (JICA Chikyu Hiroba)
January 2016: "Mero Sathi Project Report Meeting" (at Tokyo Keizai University, supported by Ministry of Foreign Affairs and JICA)
May 2015: "Nepal Earthquake Emergency Support Charity Program" (at JICA Chikyu Hiroba, supported by Ministry of Foreign Affairs and JICA)
November 2014: "Young people, let's communicate with the world and Asia! (at JICA Chikyu Hiroba, supported by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and JICA)
October 2014 - January 2015: "Young People, Let's Exchange with the World and Asia! Lecture series (co-organized with Tokyo Keizai University)
▼International
February 2020 Mero Sathi Project Japan-Nepal Student Exchange Program (various locations in Nepal)
September 2019: Nepal-Japan International Student Summit 2019 (Theme: Happiness and Education in Nepal)
September 2019: Mero Sathi Project Japan-Nepal Student Exchange Program (various places in Nepal, in cooperation with Akinori Seki Seminar, Tokyo Keizai University)
Aug. 2019: Mero Sathi Project Japan-Nepal Student Exchange Program (various places in Nepal)
August 2019: VJEP2019 Vietnam-Japan Student Exchange Program (Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh City and Vinh Phuc Province)
February 2019: Mero Sathi Project Japan-Nepal Student Exchange Program (various places in Nepal)
September 2018: VJYE2018 Vietnam-Japan Student Exchange Program (Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh City and Phan Thiet, Vietnam
In collaboration with Akinori Seki's seminar at Tokyo Keizai University)
Aug. 2018: VJEP2018 Vietnam-Japan Student Exchange Program (Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh City and Vinh Phuc Province)
Feb. 2018: Mero Sathi Project Japan-Nepal Student Exchange Project (various locations in Nepal)
September 2017: Mero Sathi Project International Student Exchange Project (Nepal, in collaboration with Akinori Seki Seminar, Tokyo Keizai University)
Aug. 2017: VJEP2017 Vietnam-Japan Student Exchange Program (Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh City and Vinh Phuc Province)
Aug. 2017: Mero Sathi Project Japan-Nepal Student Exchange Project (various places in Nepal)
Feb. 2017: Mero Sathi Project Japan-Nepal Student Exchange Program (various places in Nepal)
September 2016: VJYE Vietnam - Japan Student Exchange Program (Ho Chi Minh City, in collaboration with Tokyo Keizai University)
Aug. 2016: NJEP Nepal-Japan Student Exchange Program (various places in Nepal)
Aug. 2016: VJEP Vietnam-Japan Student Exchange Program (Ho Chi Minh City and Dalat, Vietnam)
Feb. 2016: Japan-China-Nepal Student Exchange Program (various locations in Nepal)
Nov. 2015: AAEE Mero Sathi Seminar in Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Oct 2015: International Exchange Seminar at National University in Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam)
Sep 2015: Asian Student Exchange Program 2015 (various locations in Nepal, in collaboration with Akinori Seki Seminar, Tokyo Keizai University)
Aug 2015: Nepal Earthquake Emergency Relief Student Exchange Program (various locations in Nepal)
Mar. 2015: Nepal Water Tank Installation and Student Exchange Program (various locations in Nepal, in collaboration with FIWC)
Oct 2014: Japan-Vietnam High School Science Exchange Program 2013 (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam)
Oct 2014: Bangladesh School Cleaning Project 2014 (Dhaka, Bangladesh)
Sep 2014: VJYE Vietnam-Japan Student Exchange Program (Ho Chi Minh City and Vinh Phuc Province, in collaboration with Akinori Seki Seminar, Tokyo Keizai University)
Aug 2014: Bangladesh Student Seminar (Dhaka, Bangladesh)
Mar 2014: Nepal Water Tank Installation & Student Exchange Program (Palpa, Nepal)
Sep 2013: VJYE Vietnam - Japan Student Exchange Program (Ho Chi Minh City and Lam Dong, in collaboration with Akinori Seki seminar, Tokyo Keizai University)
2013/03 Nepal Water Tank Installation & Student Exchange Program (Palpa, Nepal)
Feb. 2013 Nepal-Japan Student Exchange Project (Lamjung, Nepal)
Feb. 2012 Thailand-Nepal-Japan Student Exchange Project (Bangkok Thammasat University, Palpa, Nepal)
▼Online Program
November 2020 Mero Sathi Project International Student Online Summit 2020 (by Nepalese and Japanese students, in collaboration with Akinori Seki Seminar, Tokyo Keizai University)
July-November 2020 Mero Sathi Project Japan-Nepal Student Exchange Program (Online, in collaboration with Akinori Seki Seminar, Tokyo Keizai University)
September 2020 BJEP International Student Online Summit 2020 (by Bangladeshi and Japanese students)
August-September 2020 Bangladesh-Japan Student Exchange Program (Online)
Aug. 2020 Vietnam-Japan Student Exchange Program (Online)
December 2020: "Multicultural Conviviality" Online Study Session Series (1) "Thinking about Intersectionality: Finding Your Own Identity Beyond the Framework of Nationality, Race, Religion and Language" (in Zoom)
November 2020: Event supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and JICA Chikyu Hiroba: "The Infinite Possibilities of Online International Exchange: Our Global Partnership in the Corona Disaster" (at Zoom, supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and JICA Chikyu Hiroba)
November 2020 Mero Sathi Project International Student Online Summit 2020 (by Nepalese and Japanese students, in collaboration with Akinori Seki Seminar, Tokyo Keizai University)
July-November 2020 Mero Sathi Project Japan-Nepal Student Exchange Program (Online, in collaboration with Akinori Seki Seminar, Tokyo Keizai University)
September 2020 BJEP International Student Online Summit 2020 (by Bangladeshi and Japanese students)
August-September 2020 Bangladesh-Japan Student Exchange Program (Online)
Aug. 2020 Vietnam-Japan Student Exchange Program (Online)
May 2020: "Multicultural Conviviality at Home and Abroad: International Exchange Connecting Heart to Heart" (at JICA Chikyu Hiroba, supported by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, JICA Tokyo, and JICA Chikyu Hiroba)
Message from the President of AAEE
Mr. Akinori Seki, President of the Asia Association of Education and Exchange (AAEE) and Professor at Tokyo Keizai University, is an educator and researcher specializing in multicultural understanding and foreign language education. In recent years, he has been actively involved in studying students' psychological changes in multicultural student exchange settings and their motivation for foreign language learning.
For over two decades, he has been teaching regular university courses and leading overseas training programs for foundations. He has conducted a total of 35 international exchange programs in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, India, Nepal, Vietnam, and Thailand. He has also lived in Thailand and Nepal.
You can find more about President Seki's mission and activities in a user-friendly introduction on the Tokyo Keizai University official website:
Tokyo Keizai University _interview
My Emotional Support for Life
Asia Association for Educational and Exchange
President Akinori Seki
Recently, I have been thinking a lot about how difficult it is to survive in life. Anxiety, conflicts, pressure... Even so, because I had "emotional support," I managed to make it this far despite my weaknesses. In my case, when I am lying still, exhausted, and unable to move, the experience of spending the summer of my freshman year of high school in Indonesia always comes to mind.
Growing up in a small town deep in the snow in Niigata, I had no contact with foreign countries or cultures until I was in junior high school, and until I was 15 years old, I had only seen a foreigner once. I had hardly ever been to Tokyo, and I was even too scared to go to Niigata City by myself, when it was just two-hour train ride away.
Then, in the summer of my first year of high school, I was suddenly asked to go to Indonesia for a homestay. This was not something I volunteered to do. The previous year, at the behest of my teacher, I had given a speech about my experiences at a junior high school that had been rife with school violence, and I had unexpectedly won the Minister of Education's prize at a national competition.
As a person who knows nothing about foreign countries, I had no idea what Indonesia was all about. When my friend and I looked into our social studies reference textbook, the only thing we could find was an ancient "stilt house" on the island of Java, built quietly in the jungle. Unlike today, we didn't have access to the Internet to search for information. In a panic, I spent three months preparing equipment that would allow me to survive in the jungle for a month. My friend gave me a directional magnet as a parting gift and said, "Come back alive!" as I was sent off to a small station in my hometown. It sounds like a joke, but it's a true story. I remember that it fell on the day of the opening ceremony of the Los Angeles Olympics.
When I arrived in Jakarta, Indonesia, I was taken aback. Jakarta was not a jungle but a big city. And even though it was night when I arrived, the number of people outside was unbelievable. It was incomparably more prosperous than the city I live in. Furthermore, there was no Japanese to be heard at all. During the bus ride from the airport, I was struck so hard by the culture shock that I couldn't keep my mouth shut.
I stayed in Jakarta and Yogyakarta, a city famous for the Borobudur Temple, a World Heritage Site, for a while. Looking back on it, there are so many embarrassing story about my stay. For example, in Indonesia, there is a custom of bathing (like a shower) called Mandi. There is a water tank in the home and water is poured over the body with a small bucket. However, not knowing anything other than the Japanese way of bathing, I went into the tank barenaked. The tank was so deep that I almost drowned, and my host father came running to rescue me after I screamed for help. Another time I casually entered the host sister's room and found her wearing a strange costume and moving in a strange way. (At that time, I had never even thought about religion, let alone had much knowledge about Islam). I had a lot of things I wanted to say, but I could not express them in English, which troubled the people around me and frustrated me many times.
Nevertheless, this homestay program was like a dream come true for me. In particular, I will never forget the interaction with junior high and high school students of the same generation as long as I live. On the uninhabited island where we stayed during the field trip, we talked about our dreams under the starry sky using poor English. We sang, swam, and had a lot of fun. I was overjoyed to receive a love letter from a girl of the same age, but I could not understand the meaning of the letter, so I made a vow to her to learn English (we continued correspondence for two years, but the communication faded eventually, as so happens with teenagers, lol). It was an irreplaceable time I spent with them that will never come back. As the end of the program approached, I found myself unable to stop crying with emotions and pain.
After returning home, my behavior changed very obviously. I told myself, "The world is big!" and began to work furiously on learning English, reading books, and other things that would help me connect with the world. I also desperately sought out opportunities to make foreign friends. When I was a university student, I tried to save money by working part-time and even loaned some money from the University Co-op to travel to Asia and Africa. After realizing that nothing would happen if I just waited, I organized my own exchange events with international students. After becoming a high school teacher, I took every opportunity to connect with foreign countries, and even applied for and was accepted into JICA's summer program for high school teachers in Zambia.
If I had not gone to Indonesia at that time, my life would probably have gone in a completely different direction. At the very least, I would not have been able to research and practice multicultural exchange and foreign language education as a university faculty member or be involved in promoting student exchange by establishing the AAEE.
I believe that when people encounter difficulties and feel stuck, they are able to survive based on the happy memories from the past. As an educator, I always want to give the young people I meet the inspiration that will support them through life. So what can I do? The answer lies in the AAEE, and this is the kind of social contribution and international cooperation I can make.
