TMUtimes
This edition features interviews with international students andinternational exchange activities with our partner universities.

News Letter2020 Vol.4

Contents

Welcome toTokyo Metropolitan University!
Voices of International Students
News & Topics 2019
TMU Facts

The Japanese name of Tokyo Metropolitan University will be changed from “首都大学東京 (Shuto-Daigaku-Tokyo)” to “東京都立大学 (Tokyo-Toritsu-Daigaku)” effective April 1, 2020. The English name “Tokyo Metropolitan University”
will remain unchanged.
Our university’s new Japanese name “東京都立大学 (Tokyo-Toritsu-Daigaku)”
clearly indicates that the university was established by the Tokyo Metropolitan
Government, and this renaming will serve as an opportunity for us to achieve
further development.
As the only public prefectural university in Tokyo, one of the leading metropolitan cities of the world, Tokyo Metropolitan University is committed to increasing its presence not only by honing its educational and research capabilities as
the university’s core function, but also by passing on their outcomes more thanever to the city of Tokyo as a think tank of the metropolis.

TMUtimes Vol.4/ SUMMER 2018 Vol.1
Welcome to Tokyo MetropolitanSPRING
University!
Tokyo Metropolitan University is the only public university in Tokyo and among the leading Japanese comprehensive
universities, which aims to maintain high standards in both research and education.

A Message from the Vice-President for International Affairs
TMU, the only public university in the Tokyo Metropolis, welcomes students from all over the world whoseek quality education based on outstanding research prowess. We were ranked 7th among all the universities in Japan (THE World University Rankings 2019) and have been providing students with uniqueeducation, activities, and a favorable environment for advanced research. Besides the usual courses conducted in Japanese, some are conducted in English to suit the diverse needs of students with different
backgrounds and expertise. A noteworthy feature is that almost all international students are granted
tuition waiver and scholarship as we do not want economic conditions to pose any hurdles for those who
seek better educational opportunities. Please join us in witnessing how we achieve our long-term vision
toward 2030. You will complete us.

Vice-President Masao Ayabe

About TMU Libraries
Central Library

Hino Library

It is located in the center of Minami-osawa
Campus, so it is easy to access from anywhere else on the premises. It holds morethan 700,000 materials to help your studies.
You can also use electronic journals/books. A
noteworthy feature of our materials is thatthey include precious collections—the libraryhouses 13,000 old documents from the Edoand Meiji eras, and the most famous collection
is “Mizuno-ke monjo,”which are the documents of the Mizuno family who served theShogun of the Edo era. In recent years, wehave held exhibitions of these precious collections to allow more people to see them. The
library has tailored seating for individuals aswell as groups, so you can choose the onethat fits your learning style. If you have questions about the library or face trouble finding
the materials you need, you can approach thelibrarian at the reference counter. If your question is study-related, you can ask the graduate
students at the learning consultation desk.
Please feel free to contact us when you are
unsure of anything in the library.

About TMU

Arakawa Campus Library

Located in Bldg. No. 2 on Hino Campus, this is
the library of the Faculty/Graduate School ofSystems Design. In the spacious and stylish
basement, about 170,000 materials onsystems design are stored. These mainly
cover information science, electrical engineering & computer science, mechanical systems
engineering, aeronautics & astronautics, andindustrial art. Giving much thought to active
learning, the library offers communication
space by designating 2 rooms for group study.
It also organizes many instructional events,including a series of “Writing English Theses
Seminars” and movie shows on systems
design, that are popular among library users.
Its official website contains a catalogue ofe-journals, available for browsing only on Hino
Campus, and “A Book Your Systems DesignProfessor Recommends” with a comment by
the professor.

Access to TMUCampus Map

Faculty/Graduate

This one is for the Faculty of Health Sciencesand Graduate School of Human Health Sciences. It houses an exceptional collection ofpatients’ and doctors’ diaries as well as morethan 140,000 volumes of medical care-relatedmaterials, providing a large compendium of
medical database and e-journals. The libraryhas a spacious reading room and media spaceequipped with 16 PCs; it also offers notebook
computers on loan. What is remarkable about
this library is its learning environment—it has
simulation devices for acquiring physicalassessment skills, in addition to the group
work rooms, multi-purpose communicationsquire, and self-study rooms. It hosts literature retrieval seminars and various types of
guidance sessions, and shows medical-themed movies from time to time throughout a year.

Researcher

OpenCourseWare

TMUtimes Vol.4

Voices of International Students SPRING / SUMMER 2018 Vol.1
We have many international students enrolled in the undergraduate and graduate schools,
and the number continues to rise every year.
Voicehave picked up many soft and hard skills
from all kinds of people. Research studies atTMU give me a chance to develop andimprove myself. Ultimately, I wish to channel
all my knowledge from my research studies
into my career path. I’m aware of how valuable and useful this would be in the future.

1

Name Chaijaroen Permpoon
Program Tokyo Human Resources Fundfor City Diplomacy Scholarship Program

Q1. What would you wantto achieve through yourresearch studies at TMU?
Studying abroad is a good opportunity tolearn about different people and cultures—IVoice2

Name Blaise Fanny
Program Tokyo Human Resources Fundfor City Diplomacy Scholarship Program

Q1. What is your main reason
for choosing TMU
as a place to do research studies?
Voice

Q2. Please describe your research theme insimple terms.

Q3.Have you witnessed
any cultural differences inTokyo that have surprised you?

My research theme is Green and Sustainable
Chemistry, which is the process of designingand synthesizing chemicals by minimizing
and avoiding the use of dangerous synthetic
substances that are toxic to the environment. As you may know, nowadays, people
use chemicals in numerous ways, and there
are many misunderstandings about waste

People here work really hard and with dedication; for example, a colleague of mineworks 7 days a week, often till late in thenight. This was a shock for me at first, butnow, having studied here for a year, I see
that it is quite normal for the Japanese, andit has motivated even me to work as hard asthem.

Before TMU, I studied Japanese culture
and language in Paris for 5 years, and mybiggest dream was to come to Japan tofinish my research studies. I was able toachieve that thanks to TMU and particularly my research director, Yuji Nishiyama.
The main reason I decided to come hereis because it gave me the freedom tochoose my research theme, as long as myprofessor agreed with it, while making me
a grantee of Tokyo Human Resources
Fund for City Diplomacy. Also, I wanted towork with TMU’s excellent professors.

My research is on Kabukicho, known as
one of the most dangerous places inJapan; ironically, when this district wasbuilt, after World War II, it was meant tobe a cultural and “ethnic” place. I wantto understand how Kabukicho wentfrom being a calm place to a violent
one, and then explain the measurestaken to improve its image, especially
recently for the 2020 Olympics, andtheir impact on its underground culture.

Q2. Please describe your research
theme in simple terms.
considering its stellar reputation, my advisor recommended TMU to me. I, too, am
located close to Tokyo but away from thecenter; hence, TMU provides the ideal
environment to work in—accessible but
not chaotic.

3

Q2. Have you experienced
any culture shock while in Japan?
Name Clémentine COMBE
Program Semester Abroad at Tokyo MetropolitanUniversity (SATOMU)

Q1. Why did you choose TMU
to study abroad in Japan?
My thesis advisor back in France suggested I go to TMU this year as I am in Japan
to conduct some field research for mymaster’s thesis. As it is close to Tokyo andfrom chemical reactions. So, my research
focuses on developing new biodegradable
and recyclable functional polymers fromplant oils by metathesis polymerization,
which would help reduce environment contamination.

Seeing that I have been studying theJapanese culture for 7 years now at university (in France), I think I was prepared for all the things that could“shock” me in Japan. Nonetheless,there are still some things that surprise/confuse me—for instance, when I
hear people sniffling in the train insteadof blowing their nose.

Q3.What are your impressions of TMU?
So far, I am very satisfied with the many
experiences I have had at TMU. I think
this university emphasizes on academic
research and is particularly active in its
academic development. The Five-Continent Student Symposium, held on
November 9, is an example of the many
activities TMU organizes in support ofits research program and international
relationships. Though I feel a little lostat TMU sometimes, as it is a huge university, I enjoy its dynamism and thewelcoming attitude of the International
Center as well as professors.

TMUtimes Vol.4

News & Topics 2019
1st Global Discussion Camp held on TMU Minami-osawa Campus!
The 1st Global Discussion Camp (the Camp) was held from August 17 to 24,
2019 on TMU’s Minami-osawa Campus. Five undergraduate students and 2
faculty members from the University of Leicester (UoL) were invited toparticipate in it with more than 20 TMU students and faculty members.
The Camp is an initiative under TMU Strategic Partnerships Program launchedin January 2018. It provides a unique opportunity to both TMU and its strategic
partners’ undergraduate students to come together, discuss, and present theirresearch, and develop presentation and professional skills over 7 days.
The 1st Camp covered a range of academic disciplines, encompassing
astrophysics, molecular and structural biology, neuroscience, and biomedical
engineering under the title: Life to Cosmos—From Biochemical, Biomedical andEnvironmental Studies to Space Research.
Students from both universities were divided into 4 groups based on theresearch topics they had selected in advance. From Day 1, they undertook
group assignments and projects, did lab activities and excursions together, anddiscussed their research results under the supervision of TMU and UoL faculty

members. To wrap up the Camp, each student group presented its learnings
to the larger TMU community.

Report on GPAC (Global Partnership of Asian Colleges) 2019 Participation
GPAC is an international student forum, whose members are higher
education institutions from 6 countries and regions across Asia.
The members take turns to host the forum. Every year, more than
100 students, faculty, and staff participate in it. TMU became an
official member of it in 2019, when 20 TMU students stayed atVietnam National University, the host, from August 26 to 31 andtook part in presentations and discussions on research outcomes,
and other exchange events at the forum.

Presentation competition Participating students
finally reaches
at a welcome party
the final round

Summary of the GPAC 2019 is as follows:(1) Host Country/University: Vietnam, Vietnam National University(2) Schedule & Content: 8/26 (MON) - 8/31 (SAT) Presentations,City Tour, Farewell Party, Friendship Exchange Events(3) Presentations
Presentation by each university:This year’s overall theme was “Digital Economies in Asia.”
Presentation by multinational groups:
Participating students formed mixed groups comprisingdifferent nationals, and each group worked out solutions
for the given issue and gave a presentation.
You can find more information on
https://www.linkedin.com/school/corp-tmu/

Multinational groupscompete each otherat presentation session

Annual Meeting of Tokyo
Human Resources Fund for City Diplomacy
The 2019 Annual Meeting of Tokyo Human Resources Fund for City
Diplomacy Scholarship Program was held with 118 attendees studying
under the program and faculty/staff.
This year marked the 4th annual meeting, which served as an occasion
for international scholarship students (current/alumni) under the Asian
Human Resources Fund and Tokyo Human Resources Fund for City
Diplomacy, their academic supervisors, TMU faculty/staff, and Tokyo
Metropolitan Government officials to get together to promote exchanges
among them.

A Look at Numerical Facts (Data)• Ranked 7th among Japanese universities (Times Higher Education World
University Rankings 2019)• Over 9,000 students(about 7,000 undergraduate and about 2,300 graduate)• About 700 faculty staff and 500 administrative staff• Over 600 international students from about 40 countries• Over 200 Student Associations

Academic Composition (7 faculties and 7 graduate schools)
Faculty• Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences• Faculty of Law• Faculty of Economics andBusiness Administration• Faculty of Science• Faculty of Urban EnvironmentalSciences• Faculty of Systems Design• Faculty of Health Sciences

Graduate School• Graduate School of Humanities• Graduate School of Law and Politics• Graduate School of Management• Graduate School of Science

International Affairs Office

Email: info-kokusai@jmj.tmu.ac.jp Web: http://www.ic.tmu.ac.jp/english• Graduate School of Urban
Environmental Sciences• Graduate School of Systems Design• Graduate School of Human
Health sciences