Kobe University (KU) has progressively strengthened its academic ties with European universities over the years, which led to becoming the co-ordinator of the EU Institute in Japan, Kansai (EUIJK), funded by the European Commission. EUIJK was established in 2005, jointly with Kwansei Gakuin University and Osaka University, in the Kansai region. Since then, KU has engaged in a wide range of educational, research and outreach activities, although the visibility of the EU in Japan is still rather limited. Therefore, KU’s main objective as a Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence (JMCOE) is to increase the visibility of the EU in Japan through its EUIJK’s platform, promoting mainly three kinds of activities. (1) EDUCTION: Developing and diversifying the current base of EU-related courses offered at KU into a multidisciplinary degree programme with the ultimate aim of creating a Master’s and a Doctor’s Degree in EU studies, which would be the first in Japan. During the proposed three-year period, KU will also make every possible effort to introduce, for the first time in Japan, joint degrees with European universities. (2) RESEARCH: Developing multidisciplinary area studies and research in order to promote a deeper understanding of the interdependency in the EU. KU became the first Japanese university to open an office in Brussels in 2010, mainly to strengthen scientific collaborations with European institutions. Furthermore, KU has become one of the two Horizon 2020 contact points in Japan. (3) OUTREACH: Organising workshops, seminars, roundtables, trainings for the wider Japanese community. The Kansai region has a vast population of ca. 20 million people, research hubs, many industrial organizations, labour unions and NGO/NPOs. EUIJK consortium covers the most important cities and organisations, which enables to conduct effective outreach activities.