Interactive online Japan-China international exchange through the Sakura Science Program

Abstract

Since the COVID-19 infection became a global pandemic, cooperation and exchange in education and research around the world have been significantly impacted. Based on the decrease in the number of infections in Japan and the reduced risk of severe illness in those infected due to the increase in vaccinations, it was determined that the situation was moving toward stabilization. However, the environment for resuming face-to-face exchanges was still not ready. For this reason, drawing on the experience from the original online Japan-China exchange program in 2020, we implemented a more advanced online international exchange program during the COVID-19 pandemic through the Sakura Science Program in 2021, and we will report the details and practical results.