O2 Partners, Inc. (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Shinichi Matsumoto; hereinafter "the Company") signed a comprehensive partnership agreement on June 24, 2026, with Providence University (President: Szu-ling Lin; hereinafter "Providence University"), headquartered in Taichung City, Taiwan. This agreement aims to promote educational, research, and cultural exchange, as well as mutual support for student human resource development and career formation, thereby establishing a new framework for human resource development in Japan and Taiwan. Comprehensive partnership agreement signed at O2 Partners headquarters on June 24, 2026. From left: Shinichi Matsumoto and President Szu-ling Lin (Photo: Hiroji Matono). Background and Objectives of the Agreement As a management consulting firm specializing in the manufacturing industry, the Company has supported the transformation of Japanese manufacturing. In recent years, based in Yamagata Prefecture, the Company launched the "Yamagata AI Club" to focus on practical human resource development where students tackle real business challenges using AI. As this initiative expands nationwide and internationally, a partnership with Providence University, which excels in language and international exchange and prioritizes AI education, has been realized. Providence University positions "internationalization," "AI education," and "sustainable development of humanity" as its three key themes and is a university that has actively promoted substantial industry-academia collaboration with companies. It has a Japanese language department, and many students wish to study or work in Japan, leading to high compatibility and the conclusion of this agreement. Scope of Cooperation - Promotion of mutual understanding in the development and exchange of education, research, and culture. - Mutual support for the human resource development and career formation of students. - Other cooperative matters in line with the objectives of this agreement. Fu