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From September 4 to 8, 2025, Keio University President Kohei Itoh visited Brown University, Carnegie Mellon University, Harvard University, and Yale University to meet with their respective presidents and discuss future collaborations in education and research.

Brown has had a long history with Keio; the university's fourth president, Francis Wayland, is said to have greatly inspired the thinking of Keio founder Yukichi Fukuzawa. Since establishing student exchange agreements in 1980, the two institutions have sent and hosted many exchange students on a mutual basis. President Itoh and Vice-President Motohiro Tsuchiya met with Brown President Christina H. Paxson and other university administrators. They reflected on their cooperative projects up to this point and shared their views on having more collaborations in education and research in the future.

Carnegie Mellon and Keio established their student exchange agreement in 1987 and have continued their cooperative ties since then. In April 2024, they signed a partnership agreement bringing together the US and Japan to work in cutting-edge AI research. At present, joint research projects are being carried out by the two universities and their partner institutions, with the Keio AI Center serving as the hub. President Itoh met with Carnegie Mellon President Farnam Jahanian and discussed research collaborations between their respective universities. In addition, a research exchange meeting was held with faculty from the Keio AI Center, representatives from partner institutions, and faculty from Carnegie Mellon University, where participants shared updates on their research progress.

The ties between Harvard and Keio can be traced back to 1890, when Keio established its first university departments. Upon the recommendation of then-Harvard President Charles W. Eliot, three professors were invited to Keio, and over the years the two institutions have continued exchanges across a wide range of fields. President Itoh and Vice-President Tsuchiya met with Harvard President Alan M. Garber and other university officials, reaffirming the historic ties between the two universities and exploring the potential for future research collaboration.

Yale and Keio have developed a cooperative relationship over the years through ongoing researcher exchanges. During this visit, President Itoh and Vice-President Tsuchiya paid a courtesy call on Yale President Maurie McInnis, where they discussed prospects for future collaboration in education and research.