Uzbekistan and Japan have signed an agreement to establish a joint university in Tashkent, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation said.
Minister Kungurotboy Sharipov and University of Tsukuba President Kyosuke Nagata signed the agreement by video link. The institution is planned as an independent legal entity under Uzbek law.
Its founders will be the ministry and a consortium of Japanese universities coordinated by the University of Tsukuba.
The first master’s programmes are planned in two fields: artificial intelligence and digital transformation, and business management. Bachelor’s and doctoral programmes are expected to follow at a later stage.
Teaching will be in English and based on the Japanese higher-education model. Students are also expected to receive access to short programmes in Japan and courses in Japanese language and culture.
Uzbekistan is to provide the campus and teaching and research infrastructure, and fund faculty and administrative staff. The University of Tsukuba will support curriculum development, faculty recruitment and academic exchanges.
A preparatory office is planned to open in Tashkent in September 2026. The first intake for master’s programmes is scheduled for the 2028/29 academic year.
