Prof. Dr. Faisal Hj. Ali, VCC program coordinator, came to Tokyo to hold a Joint Staff Meeting (JSM) with JSPS. At the August 5 meeting, Prof. Ali looked back over the achievements of the exchange programs to date and described the current situation at VCC. JSPS introduced a new type of researcher exchange program, which it is now planning to launch. Prof. Ali responded that he would bring the proposal back to Malaysia for consideration.

After the JSM, Prof. Ali paid a courtesy call on JSPS president Prof. Motoyuki Ono, giving them a chance to exchange views on recent scientific trends in Malaysia.

The following day, Prof. Ali visited the Ocean Research Institute, the University of Tokyo. The Institute is carrying out a project in collaboration with VCC under the Core University Program. On behalf of the Institute, Professors Isao Koike and Nobuyuki Miyazaki welcomed Prof. Ali and held a vigorous discussion with him on topics ranging from multilateral collaboration to Malaysia's academic environment.