NEWS

On Thursday, December 2, 2021, APU signed an "Agreement on Friendship and Exchange" with ORIX Real Estate Corporation (hereinafter, ORIX) at Suginoi Hotel, Beppu Onsen operated by ORIX in Beppu City, Oita Prefecture.

The purpose of this agreement is to revitalize the region and create human resources who will contribute to the future tourism industry and regional value creation by mutual exchange of human and intellectual resources and mutual cooperation in a wide range of fields such as education, culture, community development, and internationalization. By combining the management know-how of ORIX with the educational functions of APU, particularly in the field of tourism, and the diverse sensibilities of international students, the two parties will research and realize regional revitalization centered on tourism. The collaboration also aims to foster students who will be responsible for the tourism industry and sustainable community development in the future.

From April 2022, APU and ORIX plan to jointly plan and implement hands-on and problem-based learning at Suginoi Hotel. In addition, there will be opportunities for internships in which students can earn money while taking on practical work experience, such as marketing. There are also benefits for APU’s various on-campus multicultural events. ORIX aims for an industry first by taking the displays of the world foods and culture off the campus and into the hotel, so that visitors may experience the world from Japan. To emphasize this, on the day of the press conference, APU student groups displayed an array of cultural dances: Yosshakoi showed their Yosakoi dance, KMUSE represented K-Pop, and Common Viet performed traditional Vietnamese dance.

Comments from the representatives at the press release of this agreement (partial excerpt)

Toshinari Fukaya,
President of Orix Real Estate Corporation
"This agreement with APU is one effort toward the realization of a sustainable society. We will revitalize the Beppu region by creating distinctive content and creating tourism measures that can appeal to both domestic and foreign tourists. I also hope it will be a good opportunity for students to grow."

Takaaki Nitanai,
Representative Director of Suginoi Hotel & Resort Co., Ltd.
"This is the first time for us to collaborate with academia. By collaborating with APU, we will utilize the diverse sensibilities of the students in the operation of our facilities, while raising the level of tourism demand in the entire region and solve its issues. We will work together to develop human resources through finding solutions.”

Hiroshi Yoneyama,
Vice President of Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University
“The ORIX Group has a philosophy that is similar to that of our university, which is focusing on the development of the region with an eye on the next generation. I hope that this agreement will lead to the development of both sides."