Produced by × JIU TIMES Vol. 16 SPRING 2016 Entrance ceremony held to welcome newest students by JIU Times Josai International University (JIU) held an entrance ceremony for new students on April 2 at its Togane Campus in Chiba Prefecture. The university, which is celebrating the 25th year anniversary, welcomed 1,650 students to its eight faculties and graduate school, as well as its school of Japanese Language and Culture. Among freshmen, 330 were non-Japanese from 22 countries and regions in Asia, Europe and South America. The ceremony at the Sports Culture Center was attended by foreign dignitaries, including HRH Tuanku Syed Faizuddin Putra Ibni Tu- anku Syed Sirajuddin Jamalullail, the Crown Prince of Perlis, Malaysia; HRH Tuanku Haj- jah Lailatul Shahreen Akashah Binti Khalil, Right photo: The Crown Prince of Perlis, Malaysia, HRH Tuanku Syed Faizuddin Putra Ibni Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Jamalullail, one of the guests at the JIU entrance ceremony, addresses new students at the Togane the Crown Princess of Perlis, Malaysia; former Campus in Chiba Prefecture on April 2; Left photo: The Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Perlis, Malaysia, HRH Tuanku Hajjah Lailatul Shahreen Akashah Binti Khalil, look on during the ceremony. Malaysian Minister of Tourism and Josai Cen- tre of ASEAN Studies Director Ng Yen Yen; Foundation that enabled five female students Bright future ahead for latest graduates of JIU Kamarudin Hussin, former vice chancellor of from the Southeast Asian country to study at Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP); and Zul the university from the 2016 academic year. by Terutada Tsunoda, Student Her Imperial Highness Princess Taka- Azhar Zahid Jamal, deputy vice chancellor of “Created by the mother of his royal high- Faculty of International Humanities mado attended the ceremony, offering a UniMAP. ness, the foundation strives in particular to sincere message to the graduates, saying, It also saw the attendance of figures from foster leadership among women,” Mizuta March 16 marked the end to a section of “From the bottom of my heart I pray and the local community, including Togane May- noted. “I’m sure our international education students’ adventurous lifetime stories, but wish that your future will be brilliant and or Naoharu Shiga; Sanmu, Chiba Prefecture, and teaching on women’s leadership will be also the start of a new chapter. bright.” Mayor Senshu Shiina; and Masao Shoji, vice additionally enriched.” The graduation ceremony was held at To end the ceremony, the student rep- mayor of Kamogawa, also in Chiba and home A day before the entrance ceremony, the JIU’s Togane Campus, with 1,230 students resentative of the graduating class, Minami to another JIU campus. crown prince and princess of Perlis paid a visit attending the ceremony to receive their Takahashi from the Faculty of Nursing, In her address, Chancellor Noriko Mizuta to Mizuta at Josai University Educational Cor- diplomas. Among the graduating students, spoke to the graduating students, saying, said JIU is closely connected with the local poration in Tokyo. Her Imperial Highness Princess Ayako was “In order for me to become part of society community and aims to nurture people able Mizuta, who serves as Chancellor of the on hand to receive her master’s degree so that I could repay all the support that I to play active roles in the international com- educational corporation, said the organization from the Graduate School of Social Work have received, I’d like to make the effort to munity. is honored to receive students from Malaysia Mizuta explained during her address that Physical Therapy Department students. Studies. work hard every day,” thus conveying her “I hope all of you grow up to be those who thanks to the scholarship. the department was created to shore up JIU’s Representing the incoming students, Nat- During the ceremony, the Chancellor strong thoughts about her future. could help the world through learning many In response, expressing his gratitude on be- engagement in the healthcare field, further sumi Abe, who is enrolled in the department, of Josai University Educational Corpora- At the moment the ceremony came to languages and interacting with different cul- half of the foundation, the prince said that they enhancing cooperation among the faculties of pledged they would have fulfilling college lives tion Noriko Mizuta gave an address to the an end, the students welled up with tears tures by taking part in various JIU study abroad are very “proud to be able to work and share pharmaceutical sciences, nursing and social at JIU. scholars saying, “I’d like you to acknowl- of joy, leaving them with thoughts formed programs,” she said. the future together” with them. work studies. “I promise that we’ll do our best to fulfill our edge and appreciate all those who have of intense recollections and strong bonds. Mizuta said the JIU’s efforts on international The entrance ceremony also coincided with “I hope they will be reliable people who dreams and become international students by supported you throughout your student Each JIU graduate took their first step education were further boosted by a scholar- the opening of the Department of Physical work on improving healthcare in communi- studying hard and appreciating every moment life, as it will become your strongest foun- out of the gates with assurance and confi- ship provided by Malaysia’s Tuanku Fauziah Therapy at the Faculty of Social Work Studies. ties around the Togane area,” Mizuta told the of our lives at JIU.” dation as you build your future career.” dence to keep the JIU legacy alive. Mizuta, delegates visit Prince Hitachi visits Peking University Josai Fossil Gallery by Josai International Center for by JIU Times the Promotion of Art & Sciences JICPAS Prince Hitachi visited Josai University’s Josai University Educational Corporation Kioicho Campus in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward, to Chancellor Noriko Mizuta and university faculty translator of Japanese literature and Koshi Oda, see the Fossil Gallery in the campus’ Building members visited Peking University on March 25 the executive director of Shichosha Co., a poetry 3 on April 12. for the opening of the Josai University Interna- publishing company. The gallery was showing about 90 fossils tional Modern Poetry Center to promote poetry Josai University last year opened the Transla- of water-based creatures from the Creta- exchange between Japan and China. tion Center, as well as the International Modern ceous Period, as well as other specimens. The The ceremony to open the center was at- Poetry Center, both of which are to provide full prince spent about an hour examining fossils tended by people working for both universities support on international academic exchanges and getting explanations from Josai University and others, including Xi Chuan and Xiao Xiao, similar to this event. Educational Corporation Chancellor Noriko both of whom are modern poets in China, East Asia is home to several traditional poetry Mizuta and other Josai University staff. Ye Jing Yi, vice-chair of the Peking University genres. The International Modern Poetry Center Council, Shintaro Kikuchi, first secretary, em- aims to promote cross-cultural understanding bassy of Japan, Lars Vargö, former Swedish of poetic language amid the trend of globaliza- Jeffrey Angles, a poetry scholar at Western Michigan University, delivers a presentation at Josai University’s Kioicho Campus in ambassador to Japan who is also a renowned tion in the 21st century. Inside This Issue Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward on March 11. International Modern Poetry Center opens Scene on Campus Examining poetry in aftermath of 3.11 disaster Page 2 by JIU Times who has translated many Japanese poems Mizuta, Angles, Tian Yuan, Takako Arai, Saya- by Jordan A. Y. Smith, Associate Professor and Moroccan poet Mohammed Bennis. Oth- ▶▶ Swedish ambassador’s wife into English, delivered the keynote speech in ka Ohsaki, Kazuko Shiraishi, Mutsuo Takano, Faculty of International Humanities ers involved in the center’s direction are visiting Josai University’s International Modern Po- Japanese. He has recently published a collec- Mutsuo Takahashi, Yosuke Tanaka, Shuntaro professors, including Bei Dao and Xi Chuan; re- at European Cafe etry Center organized a symposium to discuss tion of translations of Japanese poems about Tanikawa and Hirata Toshiko. Along with the 50th anniversary of Josai Uni- searchers such as lauded Japanese poets Gozo poems written about the Great East Japan the disasters and how their aftermath affected Some of them said the written word was versity Educational Corporation in the 2015-16 Yoshimasu and Kiwao Nomura (both JIU fac- ▶▶ Earthquake and tsunami at the university’s people, titled “These Things Here and Now: “broken” after the disasters because there was academic year, the JIU community celebrated ulty) and visiting researchers such as Mutsuo Biography of founder Mizuta Kioicho Campus in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward, on Poetic Responses to the March 11, 2011, Di- so much information that they felt words held the opening of its new International Modern Takahashi, Jeffrey Angles and others. the fifth anniversary of the disasters. sasters.” no power for anyone. One said she could not Poetry Center (IMPC), founded with the aim The center will focus on two major areas; Views from Abroad The symposium, titled “Unruly Cradle; Po- He said the disasters influenced the po- write poems for a while, while another said it of serving as a hub of critical research, transla- conducting poetry-related events such as sym- etic Responses to the March 11, 2011, Disas- etry industry. For example, many magazines was very chaotic for her because of the exces- tion and appreciation of modern and contem- posiums, round tables, dialogues and thematic Page 3 ters,” had 11 poets on the panel — nine Japa- published special editions with collections of sive amount of information. porary poetry in Japan and worldwide.