5． FY2019 Progress

Soka University■ Common Indicators and Targets
Internationalization○ Increase in the number of international students and improvement of support system- The number of international students increased 2.8 times from 313 (annual) in AY2013 to 877 in AY2019.
- Under the exchange agreement signed with the Office of the UNHCR in 2016, the University accepts one refugee student every year
(a total of three students accepted). The University has accepted two Syrian students so far under the Japanese Initiative for theFuture of Syrian Refugees (JISR).
- Introduced a Teaching Assistant scholarship program for international graduate students to enhance financial aid for all applicants.
○ Promotion of study-abroad opportunities for Japanese students- The number of Japanese students who participated in a study abroad program with credit approval increased 1.3 times from 557 inAY2013 to 761 in AY2019. Exchange agreements with 10 additional overseas universities were concluded in AY2019, expanding thenumber of partnering schools to 222 universities in 61 countries and regions. Study abroad opportunities in Europe were expanded
through additional student exchange programs with universities in Spain, Lithuania, Poland, Belgium, etc.
- New student exchange programs were developed on the Faculty level that linked to their curricula.
○ Activities at overseas liaison offices- Japanese and English websites dedicated to overseas offices were launched on the University website (Chinese for the Beijing Office,
Korean for the South Korea Office). Its contents will be enhanced to provide an online consultation service, FAQs, etc.
- The Thailand Office organized an exchange program information meeting (once/AY) and held the third joint seminar and other eventsat Thammasat University. The Philippines Office supported language training programs provided by Faculties, etc. and held aninternational symposium with the University of the East. The South Korea Office organized an exchange program information meeting,commemorative symposiums with exchange partner universities, and other events.
- Preparation began to open Soka University Africa Office at the University of Nairobi, Kenya as a hub of academic exchanges with Africa.
○ Enhancement of language training programs and measurement of their effects- The World Language Center jointly developed its unique English education program with the University of the East, Philippines, inwhich 150 students participated. Exchanges between English teachers from both universities also started.
- For short- and long-term study abroad programs, the Beliefs, Events, and Values Inventory (BEVI), a tool to measure and evaluate theeffects of learning in study abroad programs, was introduced on a full scale, and the resulting data were analyzed in collaboration with
the Institutional Research Office to improve these programs.

Governance Reform○ Faculty development (FD) and staff development (SD)- A special FD/SD seminar was held with international lecturers and attended by the University faculty members including President,Deputy Vice President, and Deans of Faculties. Also, to improve class operation in English, two FD seminars were held with a visiting
faculty member (US applied linguist) of the TESOL Program. Further, two faculty members were sent to Aix-Marseille University inFrance and Boston College in the US, respectively as long-term overseas FD programs.
- As part of the SD program, staff members with a certain level of English proficiency (TOEIC 730 or higher) participated in international
conferences, such as the NAFSA annual conference, or accompanied students attending language training programs in foreign countries.
○ Opening of the South Asia Research Center and vitalization of international exchanges by research centers- The South Asia Research Center (SARC) was opened in the Institute for the Comparative Study ofCultures. Its opening ceremony attended by the Indian Ambassador to Japan, researchers, specialists,etc., was followed by a commemorative symposium. The SARC engages in activities such as educationaland research exchanges with various universities mainly in India, and appointed an Indian faculty
member as Vice Director.
- The Soka University Peace Research Institute entered into agreements with Jeju National University
Institute of Peace Studies, Center for Peace and Public Integrity, Hanshin University, and the Institute of Human Rights and PeaceStudies, Mahidol University. Also, the Soka Education Research Institute signed an academic agreement with the Institute for Daisaku
Ikeda Studies in Education at DePaul University. Also, the Joint Institute of Research into Daisaku Ikeda Education and Development(IEDDAI) was established at the University of Alcalà, Spain, and an exchange agreement was signed to undertake research exchanges.

Educational Reform○ Outcome of language education- The number of courses taught in foreign languages increased from 112 (AY2013) to 771 (AY2019). The percentage of course syllabi
written in English rose from 11.3% to 41.2%, exceeding 37.7%, the target for the last fiscal year of this Project.
- Expansion of financial aid for various language test fees and enabling online applications successfully motivated students to improvetheir foreign language proficiency. The number of students meeting the language proficiency benchmark (equivalent to TOEFL iBT® 80)
set by the University increased 4.2 times from 296 in AY2013 to 1,246 in AY2019 (16.5% of the student population).
○ Implementation of early graduation, enrollment, and five-year consecutive degree program- Implemented at the Graduate School of Engineering (connected with the Faculty of Science and Engineering) in AY2019.

Soka University■ University’s Own Indicators and Targets○ Expansion of exchanges with African universities, etc.
- Soka University now has exchange programs with 13 African universities in nine countries. The number of students sent to Africa grewby 4.3 times from 13 in FY2013 to 56 in FY2019, exceeding the project target of 50.
○ Number of students joining global companies- The number of students who received job offers from or joined global companies listed in the US business magazine Fortune’s Global
500 rankings and other distinguished employers increased by 1.8 times from 103 in AY2013 to 189 in AY2019.
○ Increase in the number of students advancing to overseas graduate schools- The number of students admitted to overseas graduate schools rose by 1.8 times from 30 in AY2013 to 54 in AY2019. Major graduate
schools include the University of Cambridge (UK), Cornel University (US), and the University of Sydney (Australia).

■ Featured Initiatives Based on the Characteristics of the University○ Formation of a consortium with Brazilian universities- An education and research partnership agreement was signed with a consortium of 18 federal universities in the northeastern regionof Brazil to launch student exchange programs and collaborative research exchanges. The University will accept international
exchange students and dispatch researchers to these universities going forward.

○ Strengthening of collaboration with United Nations institutions- Following the existing exchange agreements signed with the UNHCR, the UNDP, and the FAO, Soka University concluded an exchange
agreement with ITTO to launch projects such as lecture meetings, researcher exchanges, joint symposiums, and internship programs forstudents. Additionally, the Faculty of Education and the Graduate School of Teacher Education became a member of the Interuniversity
Network Supporting the UNESCO Associated Schools Project Network (ASPUnivNet) and conducted activities to assist elementary andjunior high schools in the northwestern area of the Tama region in Tokyo in joining the network of UNESCO associated schools.
○ Ranked and moving up in various university rankings- In the THE Japan University Rankings 2020 (announced in March 2020), the University moved from overall ranking 79th in Japan(2019) to 75th (2020) and from 16th in Japan (2019) to 6th (2020) for its Internationalization.
- In the QS Asia University Rankings 2019 (announced in November 2019), the University ranked in each indicator as follows:
International faculty: 45th (4th in Japan), Outbound exchange students: 96th (8th in Japan), Inbound exchange students: 120th(17th in Japan), International students: 137th (24th in Japan).
○ Lecture meetings by international guests, etc.
- Lecture meetings were held by inviting Chinese Ambassador to Japan Cheng Yonghua, the Fifth
Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri, and other national leaders.
○ Initiatives under the self-funding plan enabling the promotion of the Top Global University
Project after the end of government funding- The Board of Trustees decided a policy to establish a new fund to promote the Top Global
University Project under the third capital fund.

■ Free Descriptions○ Participation of students in international conferences, contests, and other events (major examples)
Dramatically improved language proficiency led to remarkably active participation of students in a wide variety of overseas exchange
events.
- Took part in the Japan-Korea Youth Friendship Exchange Program (one student), the Japan-ChinaYouth Friendship Exchange Program (two students), and the International Youth Development
Exchange Program (four students), all sponsored by the Cabinet Office, to represent Japan.
- Two students took part in an international workshop hosted by the United Nations DPPA. (June)- Two students attended the Japan-Russia Youth Forum 2019 in Russia, sponsored by the Japan
Russia Youth Exchange Center (JREX), to represent Japan. (September)- Five students participated in the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates held in Mexico. (September)- Four students participated in the International Youth Development Exchange Program sponsored by the Cabinet Office. (October)○ Establishment of Soka University SDGs Promotion Center- As a post-event of the Seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD7),a symposium titled “SDGs and Africa—Creating a bright future in Africa through value creation,”co-organized by the Global Core Center and the SDGs Promotion Center, was held in Yokohama.
The symposium participants included the Ambassadors of Zambia and Zimbabwe to Japan,
representatives from United Nations institutions, and African researchers.