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Asian colleges meet in Tokyo

Annual conference visiting Japan had a 'lot of meaning, showed how strong country is'
Asian colleges meet in Tokyo
Attendees at the event
Published: August 30, 2011 05:29 AM GMT
Updated: August 31, 2011 05:54 AM GMT

Students and instructors from Catholic colleges and universities across Asia gathered in Tokyo to discuss environmental issues and strengthen  bonds of friendship with each other. The 19th conference of the Association of Southeast and East Asian Catholic Colleges and Universities (ASEACCU) was held August 25 – 27 at the Jesuit-run Sophia University in Tokyo. Some 135 students and high-ranking administrators came from Australia, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Thailand to participate. One notable guest was Slovenian Bishop Anton Jamnik, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Llubljana, where efforts to establish a Catholic university are actively under way. The ASEACCU conference’s location and theme changes each year. Two years ago, it was held in Sydney and covered bioethics and life issues while last year’s conference in Thailand addressed other Catholic perspectives on educational challenges. This year’s meeting, entitled Caring for God’s Creation, focused on Asian perspectives on human stewardship of the Earth. Among other highlights of the event were student presentations on environmental problems. On the last day of the conference, attendees were invited to a Tokyo hotel, where students performed traditional songs and dances in their native garb. Applause greeted each passionate display, and people sang songs together. Long after the event officially ended, the participants stayed on to take commemorative photos with each other. Satomi Sugimoto, from Seisen University in Tokyo, said: “We were able to interact with people from all over Asia. It was very significant.” Recalling the hardships of this year’s disaster, she added, “Holding the conference in Japan also had a lot of meaning, I think. We were able to show everyone how strong Japan is, that it is overcoming the earthquake.” The 2012 ASEACCU conference will be held in Taiwan.

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