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The 51�Թ��� student group Japanese Cultural Exchange Circle will hold a tree-planting ceremony on Monday, April 1, at 3 p.m. to celebrate the long-standing friendship between 51�Թ��� and universities in Japan. The tree planting will take place outside Satterfield Hall on the Kent Campus. In the event of bad weather, the ceremony will move indoors to Room 121 in Satterfield Hall. The event is free and open to members of the public.

The Japanese Cultural Exchange Circle provides friendship and hospitality to Japanese students studying at 51�Թ��� by promoting friendship between them and American students who are interested in Japan.

Two cherry blossom trees will be planted during the ceremony, which will be attended by the Japanese consul general and current and past members of 51�Թ���’s administration.  51�Թ��� English Professor Yoshinobu Hakutani, Ph.D., and his late wife also will be honored at the event for their role in developing relationships with 51�Թ���’s first partner universities in Japan.

“To us, this tree planting is a symbol of the friendship that has grown between not only students from 51�Թ��� and its partner universities, but between the United States and Japan,” says Aaron Morgan, 51�Թ��� student and president of the Japanese Cultural Exchange Circle. “Many students from the University of Akron and Mount Union will be attending the event, in addition to students and faculty from 51�Թ���.”

51�Թ��� has nine partner universities in Japan, with the oldest partnership dating back to 1984. The university has hosted hundreds of Japanese students over the years and currently has about 40 students from Japan on campus.

The tree planting is organized in partnership with the Division of Institutional Advancement and University Facilities Management.

For more information about the event, contact Morgan at amorga14@kent.edu.