Honorary Doctorate Awarded to Sultan of Pahang, Malaysia

On September 2, President NAGATA conferred an honorary doctorate upon His Royal Highness, the Sultan of Pahang, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah in Kuala Lumpur.

The conferment ceremony was solemnly conducted with approximately 80 attendees, including Minister of Higher Education, Dr. Zambry, Ambassador of Japan to Malaysia, H.E. SHIKATA, Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Malaya, Prof. Dato' Seri Ir. Dr. Azuan and a representative from University of Tsukuba.

His Royal Highness has demonstrated outstanding leadership In the field of international sports, having served as Vice President of the Asian Football Confederation from 2002 to 2015 and as Executive Committee Member of FIFA from 2015 to2019.

The fact that graduates of University of Tsukuba are active in the AFC as professionals, and that joint research between the AFC and our university started in 2024, is also a testament to His Royal Highness's efforts over the years and the extent of your influence in the Asian football community.

Attending the ceremony was Mr. TASHIMA Kozo, former president of the Japan Football Association and a University of Tsukuba alumnus who shares a close friendship with His Royal Highness. He spoke about his contributions to the development of football in the Asian region.

His Royal Highness currently serves as chancellor of Universiti Kuala Lumpur, DRB-HICOM University College, and Universiti Malaysia Pahang AL-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA).

His Royal Highness promotes understanding and the cultivation of values through education to address the global challenges facing the world, such as armed conflicts, natural disasters, and ecosystem destruction. Furthermore, his leadership in seeking to contribute to socioeconomic development by strengthening strategic partnerships with universities and companies both domestically and internationally deeply resonates with our university's philosophy.

University of Tsukuba will continue to contribute to human resource development in diverse, interdisciplinary fields in Malaysia, such as sports science, using the "Interdisciplinary Science and Design Cluster" opened in Malaysia last September as a hub.