IUJ held the New Students Welcome Day 2024

On Friday, September 27, IUJ held the New Students Welcome Day at IUJ Gymnasium to celebrate the admission of new students to IUJ.

219 students from 55 countries and regions enrolled in this academic year, including 136 in the Graduate School of International Relations and 83 in the Graduate School of International Management.

Congratulations to all the new students!

We, the faculty and staff, wish you a meaningful and productive academic life at IUJ.

【President’s Speech】

Congratulations to all of you on entering IUJ.

Today, we are able to welcome 219 new students from 55 countries. With the addition of new students, we now have a total of 413 enrolled students. This marks the largest number of enrolled students ever since the founding of the International University of Japan (IUJ) in 1982.

I would also like to thank all the guests who have gathered here today to welcome the new students. The guests are representatives of various influential organizations throughout Japan and in the local communities here in Minamiuonuma City, Niigata Prefecture.

IUJ, the university you have entered, is a special place. It is special because our university provides a “global space” within Japan, meaning that “students can learn about the world and learn about Japan” while enrolled at IUJ. In general, students live in dormitories on campus and English is used as the only language of instruction, enabling students to receive an in-depth graduate education in international relations and international management at a global standard. IUJ prides itself in that not only the faculty use English well; the university staff, who assist students in a range of matters, are also proficient in English. In my career, I have taught at several universities in Japan, but no other university has such characteristics.

Many students come to IUJ with support from organizations such as JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency), ADB (Asian Development Bank), and the IMF (International Monetary Fund). A number of students are also dispatched to study at IUJ from Japanese companies. In addition, many students from Japan and abroad have entered IUJ independently by taking advantage of the extensive scholarship system available to applicants.

Students enrolled at IUJ will study and live together 24 hours a day, 365 days a year at the Urasa campus in Minamiuonuma, Niigata Prefecture. Due to this contact, a dense and diverse network is sure to be formed amongst those who enter our university. In other words, IUJ is a place “where the world cooperates,” providing a range of future benefits: benefits to our students and their ongoing or future careers, to our students’ current and potential employers and colleagues, and to our students’ home countries.

IUJ also aims to become “A university with a visible presence in Niigata and Minamiuonuma.”

Every year in early summer, the International Festival on the Urasa campus is co-sponsored by Minamiuonuma’s local government. The festival is a unique event where local people join together with IUJ students, faculty, and staff members to enjoy food, songs, and dances from all over the world. In mid-winter, at the IUJ Snow Festival, not only students, their families, faculty, and staff members, but also local high school students participate in snow sculpture competitions, and enjoying snowmobiling and traditional Japanese activities like bean-throwing.

In addition, at the IUJ Musubiba College, which is held almost every month at MUSUBI-BA, a business development project based in Minamiuonuma, IUJ faculty members and students conduct presentations from their own fields of research on topics related to the lives of local people. Various themes are selected for these presentations, and opportunities are provided for discussions and exchanges in a harmonious atmosphere. This year, we even started a summer camp for local and distant high school students.

As such, IUJ is a unique “special place” in Japan.

In fact, I also just became the President of IUJ last fall, so I’m still a relative newcomer to the university, just like all of you. On behalf of everyone at IUJ, I would like you to enjoy IUJ life to the fullest, each of you sharing your experiences in this rich, natural environment.

Once again, everyone, congratulations to all of you on entering IUJ!

=====
Public Relations Team
Office of Admissions and Career Support
media@iuj.ac.jp
=====