More than 30 Japanese young scientists in the field of science and technology from the Sino Japan Youth Science and Technology Communication Plan visited the Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IMCAS) on November 26，2019.

Prof. XIANG Hua, Deputy Director-General of IMCAS, welcomed the Japanese delegation and introduced IMCAS’s history, research areas and highlights. He said IMCAS had close cooperation and deep friendship with Japanese research institutions. As early as 2006, with the support of Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China (MOST) and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), the China-Japan Joint Laboratory of Molecular Immunology and Molecular Microbiology was established at IMCAS, focusing on Sino-Japanese cooperative research on infectious diseases, which promoted the cooperation between two countries in molecular biology, immunology, and infectious diseases.

Prof. SHI Yi, Deputy Director of CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology (CASPMI), introduced the whole situation of the laboratory, including recent years’ scientific researches and achievements in emerging and reemerging diseases.

After the meeting, the Japanese delegation took a group photo in front of the rocks from Fuji Mountain and from Taishan Mountain on the campus, the symbol of Sino-Japan friendship, and also visited CASPMI, CAS Center for Influenza Research and Early-Warning, China General Microbiological Culture Collection, and Fungal Herbarium.

The "Sino Japanese Youth Science and Technology Communication Plan" was launched in 2016. It aims to invite young Japanese people to visit China for scientific, technological and cultural exchanges for some time. As the members of "Sakura Science Plan", Prof. SHI and Associate Prof. LI Jing led two groups of IMCAS young researchers to RIKEN and University of Tokyo in 2018 and 2019, respectively. This visit further strengthened the direct exchange and cooperation between Chinese and Japanese young scientists.