Sophia University in Tokyo was selected by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) as one of 11 subsidy recipients for participation in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) International Mobility for Students (AIMS) Program in 2013. Since then, Sophia University has seen more than 100 outbound students and more than 60 inbound students participate in exchanges with ASEAN member states.
AIMS was initially piloted in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand and has been developed into an ASEAN-wide program including Japan as its extended member country. Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization — Regional Centre for Higher Education and Development serves as the secretariat.
"It has been a great honor for us to be part of such an international network as one of the universities representing Japan," said Miki Sugimura, Sophia vice president for Global Academic Affairs.