JEPN hosts 3rd Student Meeting and 18th Faculty and Staff Meeting: Traumatic Experiences and Role of Universities for Refugee-background Students

JEPN regularly hosts meetings for participating universities, facilitating the exchange of information about each university’s initiatives and providing insights on the admission of refugee students. During the long summer break in August, two conferences were held: JEPN Student Meeting and JEPN Meeting for Faculty and Staff Members, first held in Kansai area in-person.

1.   The 3rd JEPN Student Meeting (August 7, 2025 at ICU

Theme: Post Trauma Growth

As with last year, refugee-background students and students from Japanese society gathered at the Dialogue House at the International Christian University (ICU). A total of 25 students participated, representing 11 universities and 2 high schools and those from student groups working with refugee-background people were invited for the first time.

Following the opening session, a lecture was delivered on the theme of “Resilience”, by Mr. Arnold Arai from the NPO TELL. Building on this lecture, two participants with refugee backgrounds shared their own experiences on how they felt sympathy with the local community people in their universities and surrounding communities.

After that, participants were divided into groups and had a lively discussions. After the formal closing, many students remained in the venue, enjoying coffee and deepening their connections with one another.

2. 18th JEPN In-Person Meeting(August 22 at Ryukoku University)

On Friday, August 22, the 18th in-person meeting of JEPN was held at Ryukoku University in Kyoto.

The morning session began with an online presentation by Ms. Nina Hakkarainen, representative of Paruyon, an organization supporting foreign women living in Japan. She introduced the group’s activities to offer support for women navigating life in Japanese society and for Ukrainian evacuees with their mental health and psychosocial support programs.

This was followed by a lecture from Ms. Kateryna Hanamura, an associate professor at Kansai University of Nursing and Health Sciences and a clinical psychologist, who is also a Paruyon member. Her lecture, titled “What Host Universities Can Do for Refugee Students – Insights from Counseling Experience”, focused on mental health care and institutional support for displaced students.

Next, a student who had participated in the 3rd JEPN Student Meeting shared her feedback and reflections, bringing in firsthand voices and perspectives. Based on this input, a group discussion among participants took place on the topics on how the university community can contribute to mental health issues of refugee-background students. Participants exchanged concrete examples from their own institutions, including existing support frameworks, student and faculty responses, good practices, and ongoing challenges.

In the afternoon program, three universities in the Kansai region—Ryukoku University, Kwansei Gakuin University, and Tenri University—shared their experiences on admitting students with refugee backgrounds. Presenters openly shared the process of building institutional support systems, scholarship programs, housing and living assistance, career support, and even flexible responses to academic challenges such as delays in graduation. These practical examples drew strong interest from attendees.

To close the meeting, participants discussed revisions to the JEPN charter aimed at improving organizational operations. The session concluded with a forward-looking conversation about building a more sustainable and collaborative support network.

Looking Ahead

JEPN will continue to hold regular meetings to support the development of Education Pathways for refugee-background students in Japan. Higher education institutions interested in joining JEPN are encouraged to contact us through the inquiry form.