From left: Kyoto City Mayor Koji Matsui, TUJ Dean Matthew Wilson, and Kyoto Prefecture Governor Takatoshi Nishiwaki shake hands following the signing ceremony at Kyoto City Hall.
Extending its commitment to cultural exchange and advancing the globalization of higher education, the Japan campus of Temple University (TUJ) signed a comprehensive cooperative agreement with Kyoto Prefecture and Kyoto City on February 14, 2025. This agreement coincides with the opening of TUJ’s new multi-building satellite location in Kyoto in January, marking a significant step in the university’s expansion.
TUJ Dean Matthew Wilson, Kyoto Prefecture Governor Takatoshi Nishiwaki and Kyoto City Mayor Koji Matsui attended the signing ceremony at Kyoto City Hall. The partnership highlights Kyoto’s commitment to expanding international education opportunities for its residents, including local K-12 students, while deepening global engagement by supporting TUJ and its students following the university’s recent expansion in Kyoto.
Through this collaboration, TUJ aims to strengthen its ties with Kyoto by introducing Temple University’s world-class education to students in the region, fostering K-12 student internationalization and language learning programming, offering English language training for local teachers, and collaborating with Kyoto to provide internship opportunities and other initiatives for Japanese and foreign university students.
The agreement comes almost exactly one year after TUJ formally announced its plan to launch TUJ Kyoto at a media conference. Since then, TUJ has been engaged with the Kyoto governments to discuss future collaborations. In anticipation of the collaborative relationship, both Mayor Matsui and Governor Nishikawa attended and delivered speeches at the opening ceremony on January 24.
Kyoto is TUJ’s fourth partnership with a prefectural government, joining similar initiatives with Ehime and Nagasaki in March 2024 and Yamanashi in December 2022. At the city level, it represents TUJ’s third accord, following agreements with Tokyo’s Setagaya in December 2022 and Minato in May 2006.
In addition, TUJ has recently broadened its partnerships in the Kansai region, signing collaborative agreements with the Osaka Board of Education and Ryukoku University, located near TUJ Kyoto, in November 2024. The accord with Ryukoku focuses on joint student activities, club events, educational and cultural programs, shared courses, and collaborative academic research and conferences.
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Governor of Kyoto Prefecture Takatoshi Nishiwaki said, “I would like to express my gratitude to everyone involved for the efforts in making it possible for Temple University, Japan Campus (TUJ), Kyoto City and Kyoto Prefecture to enter into this memorandum of understanding.
This memorandum will provide opportunities to TUJ Kyoto students to learn about Kyoto’s culture, history and industries, and after graduation, contribute to Kyoto’s future development. We hope that students from elementary, junior high and high schools in Kyoto will develop an international mindset and broaden their horizons by experiencing the American university education style.
To further strengthen universities in Kyoto and promote human resource development, we look forward to deepening cooperation between TUJ and Kyoto City. I sincerely appreciate your understanding and support in this endeavor.”
Kyoto City Mayor Koji Matsui said, “I am truly delighted that Temple University, with its 140-year history, has entered into a cooperative agreement with Kyoto Prefecture and Kyoto City, focusing on human development and personal exchange.
In Kyoto, a global cultural city where many foreign residents and international students thrive, it is becoming increasingly important to recognize, understand and respect cultural differences while promoting meaningful exchange.
I hope this agreement will create opportunities for Temple University’s expertise and Kyoto’s rich historical and cultural heritage to complement each other, fostering a diverse group of individuals who will be lead on the global stage.
Kyoto City will continue to take on various challenges to make Kyoto a one-of-a-kind city, admired and chosen by people in Japan and around the world to live, work and contribute.”
TUJ Dean Matthew Wilson noted that “Temple University’s new partnership with Kyoto Prefecture and Kyoto City reflects our shared commitment to fostering meaningful cultural exchange, educational innovation and global connections.
By launching TUJ Kyoto and deepening collaborations in this historic city, we aim to empower students, educators and the community with transformative opportunities that bridge Japan and the world through our world-class university degree programs and youth programming.
This partnership represents a significant step forward in advancing international education and creating lasting impact in Kyoto and beyond.”
About Temple University and TUJ
TUJ is a full-service branch of Temple University, a leading U.S. institution based in Philadelphia established in 1884. Recognized as a Carnegie R1 research university, Temple ranks 46th among the top U.S. public universities (U.S. News & World Report, 2025) and in the top 400 universities worldwide (Times Higher Education, 2025).
Founded in 1982, TUJ is the oldest and largest branch campus of a foreign university in Japan. In 2005, TUJ was recognized by Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport, Science and Technology and officially designated as a Foreign University, Japan Campus. TUJ offers undergraduate programs in 12 majors to a diverse student body of over 2,500 students from about 80 countries and regions. TUJ also serves more than 200 graduate students in the Graduate College of Education, the Master in Management Program and the Law School, as well as over 2,000 learners in non-degree programs for youth and adults. In the fall 2025 semester, TUJ Kyoto will formally launch the Master in Communication Management, for which applications are being accepted.
Other related stories
- Temple University, Japan Campus Launches Scholarship Programs with Partner Prefectures (December 20, 2024)
- Temple University, Japan Campus Deepens Expansion into Kyoto with New Partnership (November 26, 2024)
- Temple University, Japan Campus Formalizes its Third Prefectural Accord with Ehime (March 26, 2024)