2026/4/24

On Thursday, April 16, a ceremony was held to present a scholarship certificate and scholarship list for the 15th Kyoto-Mexico Friendship Program to Ponce Nunez Aimi.
Kunio Nanbu, Representative Director of NBL Co., Ltd. and Executive Committee Chairperson for the Friendship Program, presented the scholarship certificate, and Kyoto University of Foreign Studies (KUFS) Chancellor and Chair of the Board of Governors Toshiro Kita presented the scholarship list. México Kyoto Club Chairperson Koji Hashimoto, who was visiting Japan from Mexico at the time, also attended the ceremony.

The Kyoto-Mexico Friendship Program is a human resources cultivation program wherein KUFS invites to Kyoto descendants of Japanese immigrants in Mexico, who train to serve as liaisons between Japan and Mexico. KUFS provides support for students who enroll at the University's Japanese Studies Center for International Students for one year.

Although a bit nervous at the podium, Ms. Nunez expressed her sentiments in Japanese, saying, "The opportunity to come to Japan and study Japanese here feels like a dream come true. I want to use this experience to become someone who can bring Japan and Mexico closer together."
In his statement, Mr. Nanbu said, "I hope you will fully enjoy your year here in Japan, where your ancestors were born and raised, and learn a lot during your stay." Mr. Kita added strong words of encouragement, stating, "I hope you will learn a lot about Japan while in Kyoto, a place where good, old-fashioned Japanese culture endures, and take your newfound understanding back to Mexico to contribute in ways only a person of dual cultural heritages can."

Back