日本インド学生会議

For the plenary meeting

Toward Hosting the 30th Japan-India Student Conference (JISC) in Japan

During the 29th Japan-India Student Conference (JISC), we successfully held the conference in India, providing Japanese and Indian students with the opportunity to meet in person, deepen mutual understanding, and learn from one another about each other's cultures and social issues.

For the 30th JISC, we are planning to host the conference in Japan. Beginning with the 30th conference, we will also introduce a new hosting format in which the conference will be held alternately in Japan and India every year. This replaces the previous hosting cycle of Japan → India → India and aims to establish a more sustainable and stable framework for international exchange.

We are currently preparing for the conference with the goal of creating a platform where Japanese and Indian students can further deepen their mutual understanding and build lasting relationships that will continue into the future.

What is the conference?

The Japan-India Student Conference (JISC) is dedicated to promoting exchange between Japanese and Indian students and fostering mutual understanding through cross-cultural engagement. To achieve this mission, JISC holds its annual conference once every year.

The conference is hosted in either Japan or India and lasts for approximately two weeks. During this period, participants engage in a wide range of exchange activities and cultural experiences, allowing them to learn about each other's cultures firsthand and deepen their intercultural understanding.

Japanese and Indian participants are assigned to thematic groups, known as subcommittees, each focusing on a specific topic. Through discussions, students explore social issues shared by both countries as well as global challenges, exchanging diverse perspectives and working together to identify potential solutions.

30th Conference Theme

“Working Across Borders: Coexistence and Careers Envisioned by Japanese and Indian Youth.”

In recent years, globalization in education and employment has made studying and working across national borders more accessible than ever before. Career development is no longer confined to a single country; instead, it increasingly spans multiple regions and cultures.

At the same time, however, building a career in a foreign country involves a wide range of practical challenges, including differences in legal and institutional systems, language barriers, workplace culture, and living conditions.

Against this backdrop, it is important to examine how individuals choose where to work, the factors that influence those decisions, and how those choices ultimately shape their professional and personal experiences. At the career planning stage, access to information and perceptions of different countries play a significant role. During the recruitment process, language requirements, hiring criteria, and opportunities to connect with employers become key considerations.

After entering the workforce, additional factors—including workplace communication, performance evaluation, immigration regulations, and differences in living environments—continue to influence individuals' long-term career paths and decisions about whether to remain in or move between countries. In the context of Japan–India mobility, information gaps and institutional barriers can create discrepancies between expectations and reality.

This conference will examine international careers as a continuous process, exploring the factors that shape each stage—from career planning and recruitment to employment and long-term settlement. We will also focus on the close relationship between work and everyday life, recognizing that both play essential roles in shaping an individual's career. Through discussions from both Japanese and Indian perspectives, participants will develop a more comprehensive understanding of these interconnected experiences.

This theme also provides an opportunity for young people in both Japan and India to deepen their understanding of each other's societies. For Japanese participants, it offers insight into the realities and challenges faced by people coming to Japan, particularly from India. For Indian participants, it provides a clearer picture of what it means to build a career and live in a different cultural environment.

Through open and constructive dialogue, Japanese and Indian youth will share both the opportunities and challenges of working across borders. By learning from one another's experiences and perspectives, participants will explore new approaches to career development and envision a more sustainable and mutually beneficial future for Japan–India collaboration.