On October 9, 2015, the International Student Center held the opening ceremony for the Japanese Language and Culture Studies Course, the Japanese Society and Culture Program, Japan-Korea Joint Government Scholarship Program for the Students in Science and Engineering Departments and Japanese Language Course at Meeting Room No. 1 of the Faculty of Regional Studies building.

The Japanese Language and Culture Studies Course is an one-year course for international undergraduate students who major in Japanese language and culture and want to learn about them further. The students are embassy-recommended or university-recommended international students funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), and exchange students from Gifu University's partner universities overseas under the Academic Exchange Agreements.

The Japanese Society and Culture Program is open mainly to exchange students of Gifu University's partner universities overseas and provides them with comprehensive opportunities to learn about Japanese society and culture. In the Japan-Korea Joint Government Scholarship Program for the Students in Science and Engineering Departments, Korean students who are expected to lead the future generation are invited to faculties of science and engineering in Japan to learn leading-edge technologies and knowledge. This Program also aims to make a contribution to mutual understanding between Japan and Korea. Gifu University is accepting international students under this Program for the first time in 11 years. The Japanese Language Course provides state-funded international students, graduate students, research students and exchange students with one semester of intensive Japanese language education.

The opening ceremony was held with attendance of a total of 44 students, including 10 international students enrolled in the Japanese Language and Culture Studies Course, October 2015, three in the Japanese Society and Culture Program, one in the Japan-Korea Joint Government Scholarship Program for the Students in Science and Engineering Departments, and 30 students who will start learning in the Japanese Language Course including state-funded international students, research students and graduate students.

At the beginning of the ceremony, Dr. Fumiaki Suzuki, Executive Director for International Affairs and Public Relations, delivered a welcome speech: "Please keep in mind why you decided to study here in Japan, and do your best to achieve your goal." Next, the international students were introduced, and on their behalf, Mr. Birkbeck-Jones Toby, an embassy-recommended, MEXT-funded student from the University of Canterbury (New Zealand), gave a speech in Japanese. This was followed by three students who introduced themselves and expressed their determination to study at the University. They were: Mr. Steinhauer Matthew Thomas, an exchange student from Northern Kentucky University (USA) on behalf of the Japanese Society and Culture Program students, Mr. Lee Hyojae, an international student of the Japan-Korea Joint Government Scholarship Program for the Students in Science and Engineering Departments, and Ms.Orozco Y Orozco Yasmin Elisa of the Gifu University Graduate School of Education, a Guatemalan embassy-recommended, MEXT-funded research student.

The final part of the ceremony was marked by words of encouragement from Dr. Toyohide Takeuchi, Director of the International Student Center to the students: "Please take care of yourself, enjoy your life in Japan and study hard."