Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim urged Malaysian students overseas, especially those studying in Japan, to pursue academic excellence while absorbing positive values from the local community to help national development. He spoke during his June 9 special lecture titled "Human Values in a Human-Machine Civilisation" at the University of Tokyo, where he also answered questions from Malaysian students [1, 2, 3].
Anwar stressed that progress in technology and artificial intelligence must be integrated with ethics and societal understanding. He highlighted the Malaysian Madani concept, which includes ethics, values, humanity, and compassion as core pillars, alongside excelling in the modern economy and new technologies. "Make the best use of your time here because Japan has much to offer, and it will also shape our understanding of the Madani concept," he said [1].
He noted that education is shaped not only by universities but also by a country's society and historical experiences. Anwar praised Malaysian graduates from Japan who have contributed to meeting the needs of new industries tied to Japan and furthered national development through their experience [1, 2, 3]. "We have many Malaysian graduates from Japan who have served the country well," he said [2].
More than 2,000 Malaysian students are currently studying in Japan, reflecting the strong educational ties between the countries [2, 3]. Malaysian Ambassador to Japan Datuk Shahril Effendi Abd Ghany spoke on June 8 about Anwar's three-day official visit to Tokyo. The visit precedes the 70th anniversary of Malaysia-Japan diplomatic relations in 2027 and aims to further strengthen bilateral ties [2, 3].
Anwar described the ongoing collaboration as "an important platform to further strengthen the cooperation that has been established for a long time" [3]. His official visit and engagement with students underscore Malaysia's intent to deepen educational and technological partnerships with Japan.
The Prime Minister's visit concluded after three days in Tokyo, with expectations that Malaysia-Japan relations will mark the upcoming anniversary with enhanced collaboration across multiple sectors [2, 3].
