Soka welcomes students from around the world

Founded by Daisaku Ikeda, who laid down the educational philosophy centered on creativity, wisdom, courage and compassion, Soka University continues its mission of nurturing global citizens through lectures, symposiums and unique subject offerings.

Last year, Soka started an international liberal arts program with 11 of its 17 professors hailing from reputable worldwide academic institutions including the London School of Economics, Brooklyn College and Ateneo de Manila University. The dean of the faculty is a Harvard University graduate.

"We see the importance of nurturing global citizens to be stewards of peace, human rights, the environment and social development. We have a very diverse population with international students coming from 45 countries spanning five continents," said Yoshihisa Baba, Soka University's president.

Many international students come to Soka University because of the comfortable and enjoyable campus life it offers. The university instills an open and welcoming atmosphere among its staff and students, both in and outside of the classroom.

"We have welcomed many reputable personalities to the university. Nobel Prize winner and former Costa Rican President Oscar Arias Snchez was a keynote speaker for one of our commencement ceremonies. We have collaborated with Professor Muhammad Yunus, the first Bangladeshi Nobel Prize recipient, known for his work in micro-financing, to organize a business contest and lecture for our students. We are trying to give the students lots of opportunities to open up their minds, expand their points of view and be globally competitive," said Baba.

In 1975, when Soka University welcomed the first Chinese students to Japan, a cherry tree was planted for former Chinese premier Zhou Enlai, whom their founder Daisaku Ikeda developed a friendship with. Usually during the first Sunday in April, thousands of people, including Chinese officials and media, visit the university to see the tree in full bloom.

"Friendship between China and Japan is really important for peace in Asia. Given our founder's role in peacekeeping in Asia, many of our alumni are actually involved in bettering this relationship as educators and public officials," added Baba.

Soka has had a longstanding relationship with China for academic exchanges and research collaborations.

In 2006, they established a Beijing office and started offering a double degree course in partnership with Beijing Language and Culture University. Currently, Soka has exchange programs with 47 Chinese universities and 10 of its students are sent to China each year.

Chosen as one of the Education Ministry's Top Global Universities in 2014, the university said it would continue to strive for excellence and to be globally competitive in the future.

"We want to become a hub, a center that welcomes students all over the globe and prepares them for the real world. We want to produce global citizens by engaging them with people of various backgrounds to overcome our differences," Baba said.

www.soka.ac.jp/en

World Eye Reports provided the story.

(China Daily 06/18/2015 page23)