30% Club Japan Nine University Heads Announce
Commitment to Diversity in University Operations
February 13, 2024
As the leaders of the nine universities in the 30% Club Japan University
Group, we hereby announce our commitment to diversity in university operations.
We believe that a diverse university community is essential for achieving
high-quality education and research, and that women and gender minorities havethe right to actively participate in higher education and research. Based on thesetwo positions, the 30% Club Japan University Group aims to bring diverse
perspectives to the management of universities.
All university leaders participating in the 30% Club Japan University
Group hereby declare our commitment to pave the way to the realization of ourgoals by articulating specific targets for achieving diversity in the operation of
our universities. We announce this commitment in the hope that, by widely
publicizing the aspirations of university leaders, we can empower more people
and promote gender equality in Japan and the world.
FUJII Teruo, President, The University of Tokyo (Chair)
NISHIO Shojiro, President, Osaka University
SASAKI Yasuko, President, Ochanomizu University
ITOH Kohei, President, Keio University
BANDO Mariko, Chancellor, Showa Women’s University
TERUMICHI Yoshiaki, President, Sophia University
TAKAHASHI Yuko, President, Tsuda University
UEKI Tomoko, President, Doshisha University
USHIKI Tatsuo, President, Niigata University(Signatories after the Chair are listed in Japanese alphabetical order by university name.)

30% Club Japan
https://30percentclub.org/chapters/japan/
Contact
University Group Section
Office for Gender Equality, The University of Tokyosankaku.adm@gs.mail.u-tokyo.ac.jp

30% Club Japan
A commitment to diversity in university
operations by a group of nine university
leaders

InternalAbout the 30%Club■What is the 30% Club?
We are a business campaign aiming to boost the number of women in board seats andexecutive leadership of companies all over the world.
More than 1,000 board chairs and CEOs across more than 20 countries have alreadysigned up as members to deliver at least 30% female representation at both levels.
■Our aim
We call on our members to commit to at least 30% female representation on their boards
and executive leadership teams because this is the critical mass at which minority voices
become heard. Our ultimate goal is parity.

From the 30% Club website（https://30percentclub.org/about-us/）

Internal

What is the 30% Club Japan
University Group?
■ The Goals of the University Group
Universities can contribute to the realization of gender diversity in many
areas, including education, research, and contributions to society. To
ensure that our institutions perform their roles appropriately, the 30%
Club Japan University Group promotes gender diversity among thestudents, faculty, and staff of our universities.
To support 30% Club Japan’s overall goal of increasing women’s
participation in corporate management, the University Group also aims
to promote education and raise awareness on gender diversity in orderto advance gender diversity in all areas in Japan.
(Excerpted fromthe founding document of the University Group, 2020)
Internal

The Significance of Our Commitment
A diverse university community is essential for achieving high-quality
education and research, and women and gender minorities have the right toactively participate in higher education and research.
Based on these two positions, the 30% Club Japan University Group aims tobring diverse perspectives to the management of universities.
All university leaders participating in the 30% Club Japan University Group
have declared our commitment to pave the way to the realization of ourgoals by articulating specific targets for achieving diversity in the operationof our universities.
We announce this commitment in the hope that, by widely publicizing theaspirations of university leaders, we can empower more people and promote
gender equality in Japan and the world.

InternalEach University’s Commitment

Internal

NISHIO Shojiro, President of Osaka University
1. The Challenges of Striving for Diversity in University Management
Osaka University has continued to address the needs of society underthe motto, “Live Locally, Grow Globally.” Today, we are faced with acrucial need to create an open and broad-minded community and worldthat champions diversity and inclusion. To meet this need, we must takemore revolutionary action than ever.
In order to leverage the abilities of diverse individuals, it is particularly achallenge to raise the percentage of female researchers . Thus, key
issues involve increasing the percentage of women among upper
management responsible for hiring and overcoming unconscious bias inboth employment decision-makers and candidates.

2. Our Current Situation and Vision
The university announced the Osaka University Diversity and Inclusion(D&I) Declaration in September 2021 and proclaimed our commitment
to reinforcing our efforts to nurture an environment where diversity is
fully embraced and respected.
Based on the following initiatives, efforts towards diversity and inclusion
are being accelerated.
1. Facilitate awareness-raising among all the staff and students ofOsaka University and promote learning- and work-style reforms
2. Take a multifaceted approach to foster respect for diversity andfacilitate inclusion
3. Offer university-wide support to women to achieve gender equality

3. Strategies for Achieving Our Vision and the President’s Commitment

4. Finally, a Word from the President!

Osaka University is strongly committed to raising awareness among its
members. Specifically, mandatory e-learning training on unconscious
bias, an attitude that impedes diversity and inclusion, is conducted for all
university members, and a General Education Subject that allows
students to learn about diversity, equity, and inclusion from various
perspectives is offered.
Going forward, our goal will not only be to increase the percentage offemale researchers but to also enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion at
the university. We will lead Japanese society by striving to realize acampus where diversity, equity, and inclusion are embodied , and social
justice and respect for human rights are core values .

I firmly believe that by realizing a campus that values diversity, humanrights, and fairness , an environment will be created where individuals
can use their abilities and skills to the fullest , and Osaka University will
become a world-leading innovative university, a driving force for socialtransformation .
For that purpose, raising awareness is our top priority. By accomplishing
the university's initiatives, Osaka University will pioneer
theachievement of a gender-equal society in Japan.

Internal

SASAKI Yasuko, President of Ochanomizu University
1. The Challenges of Striving for Diversity in University Management
Ochanomizu University has generally maintained a high ratio of female
professors and associate professors. However, in response to thegrowing social needs for radical transformation of science andtechnology in recent years, we are aiming to further increase the ratio of
female professors and associate professors in the fields of science andengineering.

2. Our Current Situation and Vision
We aim to achieve a diverse and enriched work environment where everyone,
regardless of gender, can work freely and engage in various sustainable
researcher support initiatives, such as:• We have on-campus support to assign research assistants for female
researchers who are raising children.
• We provide temporary support for pregnant on-campus researchers who are
pregnant, nursing, and/or involved in pre-school childcare.
• We have a special researcher system for female researchers to provide
incentive to continue their research,
Please refer to the following for the overview and details of our support
programs.
https://www.ocha.ac.jp/danjo/info/worklife_management_d/fil/worklife_management.pdf

3. Strategies for Achieving Our Vision and the President’s Commitment
To realize our university’s mission, which has been redefined in line with themodern social system while maintaining the objectives and mission handed
down since our establishment, the President takes the leadership inorganizational reform. For example, the President considers gender balance asa key factor when nominating the Trustee, Vice President, and External Board
Members of the Administrative Council and promotes the search of a wide
range of talented individuals.

Internal

Figures in ① and ③ are as of May1,2023.

4. Finally, a Word from the President!
Ochanomizu University’s purpose and mission were redefined when it wasincorporated as a national university in 2004 to be “a place where all women
who are motivated to learn can realize their earnest dreams.” This was animportant milestone in our long history, and under this mission, we haveundertaken initiatives to promote DE&I.
We are proud that our university’s DE&I has become widespread due to thehigh ratio of female professors and board members compared to otheruniversities, as well as providing strong support for our researchers.
However, today, which is known as the Anthropocene Era, global
environmental destruction rapidly advances. Social issues are becoming
globalized. The revolutionary transformation of science and technology
represented by AI and quantum computers is unsettling people’s daily lives.
But I believe it is because we live in such an era that the pursuit of genderequality is meaningful.

ITOH Kohei, President of Keio University
1. Aiming for a Diverse Society
In Shūshin Yōryō, a compilation of Yukichi Fukuzawa’s moral codes, he writes: “The
only way in which social life can continue is for each individual to keep unimpaired
his or her own independence and self-respect as well as that of others. This may bedone by respecting the rights and happiness of others while also seeking our own
happiness and protecting our own rights.” Furthermore, he emphasized theimportance of acting in a manner that recognizes one’s role in jinkan kōsai (society
consisting of interactions among various people), and that many issues remain to be
overcome in order to make this into a reality. Under the principle of “kyōsei”—
inclusivity and collaboration—all members of the Keio University community will
work together to find solutions to these issues.

3. Strategies for Achieving Our Vision and the President’s Commitment
The President is also actively involved in the promotion of the university-wide
cooperative environment and DEI initiatives for all members of the faculty andstaff, students, and school children. This includes:-Fostering the creation of an environment that will serve as a base for deepening
the knowledge of DEI and that makes Keio University a place where diverse waysof thinking are respected-Advancing initiatives to close the gender gap, informed by global perspective-Assisting in environmental improvements, health and wellness support,
and career development to actualize women‘s success Promoting
activities to deepen knowledge and understanding of DEI-Planning and promoting Pride Commitment initiatives

Internal

2. Our Current Situation and Vision
While keeping in line with its founding mission to “become a leader for thewhole society” by being a “source of honorable character and a paragon of intellectand morals,” Keio University will forge onward with the aim of realizing an inclusiveand collaborative society in which people cooperate with each other, accept a varietyof values, and pay equal respect to the dignity of oneself and others. In order to doso, the promotion of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at Keio was incorporated
into its 2022–2026 Mid-Term Plan’s five pillars which guide its actions moving
forward; moreover, the Office for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion continues to play acentral role in advancing institution-wide initiatives—encompassing the affiliatedschools, undergraduate faculty and graduate schools, and university hospital—that
address the areas of work-life balance, eliminating barriers for those with disabilities,
and DEI to develop an environment and systems that respect these ideals.

4. Finally, a Word from the President!

Keio University is committed to its ideals.
Its mission is based on the writings of Keio’s founder, Yukichi Fukuzawa. Fukuzawa
concludes his mission statement for the university with the hope that the membersof the Keio community shall strive to be “leaders for the whole society.” To be asocietal leader, a person needs to stand on the world stage and recognize thecurrent state they and their country are in. They must define and do what needs tobe done for themselves, their family and friends, their community, their country,
and the world at large.
Keio University is a collective of students, alumni, and faculty and staff members
who work together to achieve this goal. We are a group of independent and selfrespecting individuals. We think for ourselves. We respect human dignity. That is
why we listen carefully to other people’s ideas and value every perspective and wayof life. While we are a group of people with different ways of thinking, we respect
one another and thus develop true friendships, work together to enhance eachother's skills, and help each other when we are in need. We are people who grow as
we learn the importance of our friends and realize the significance of our own
existence. These ideals form the basis of our DEI initiatives for the whole institution.

各大学
ロゴ

BANDO Mariko,
Chancellor of Showa Women’s University

学長
お写
真

1. Challenges of Striving for Diversity in University Management

2. Our Current Situation and Vision

The evolving global society of the 21st century, characterized byknowledge and diversity, is reshaping our social framework, leading to
critical issues such as widening disparities, declining birthrates, aging
populations, and environmental challenges. Addressing these issues
and reforming society requires active participation of women, calling
for the cultivation of an empowered new image of women.

At Showa Women’s University, the majority of our faculty
members are women, and we prioritize appointing the most qualified
individuals to management positions regardless of gender. Consequently,
it is common for female faculty members to hold senior roles.

To adapt to these changes, all faculty and staff need to enhance theireducational, research, and professional skills, fostering collaboration.
Moreover, urgent steps are needed to expand and improve the learning
environment to cater to students from diverse backgrounds, includinginternational students and working adults.

Moreover, we have implemented a research grant system to support
ongoing career development for faculty members and are actively
enhancing our research environment. Moving forward, we aim to further
diversify our faculty by appointing foreign nationals and practitioner
professionals.
On the educational front, SWU Career College offers programs tailored tosupport the lifelong careers of working women.

3. Strategies for Achieving Our Vision and the Chancellor’s
Commitment

4. Finally, a Word from the Chancellor!

We will continue to actively promote the appointment of female faculty
and staff to management positions. Additionally, we will encourageboth faculty and staff, irrespective of gender, to assume roles of
responsibility from an early stage, fostering personal growth.

Showa Women’s University has adopted this slogan for its students.
To change society, it is essential for each and every woman to be
empowered and to continue to influence the world around her.

Similarly, we will actively create opportunities for students to take on
responsibility and gain valuable experiences in classes and project
activities, nurturing future female leaders.
Moreover, we will focus on increasing the enrollment ofinternational and mid-career students to foster diverseand collaborative learning environments.
In
Intternal
Internal

Girls, Be Ambitious!

We are an educational institution that nurtures female leaders anddrives women’s success. Our faculty and staff believe that theyshould serve as good role models for students so that they are
empowered to overcome challenges and obstacles in society.

TERUMICHI Yoshiaki, President of Sophia University
1. The Challenges of Striving for Diversity in University Management

Sophia University was founded by the Jesuits, a men's religious
order headquartered in Rome. Although the university became
coeducational in 1957, more than 20 years have passed since thepercentage of female students has exceeded the majority, and ouralumni are active not only in Japan but also in overseas countries.
The university was founded by Jesuits of different nationalities(Germany, France, and England), and I feel that we must create a
global one-campus that recognizes diversity in terms of gender,
nationality, and religion, while continuing to carry on its traditions.

3. Strategies for Achieving Our Vision and the President’s Commitment

The "Grand Layout 3.0," our medium- to long-term
strategic plan that includes our school corporation, hasbeen be implemented from FY2023, and among ourcommitments toward 2030, we have stated the promotionof DEI&B. Furthermore, in order to support young/female
researchers who contribute to global society and forachieving a high level of sustainability, the university will
announce an action plan designed to promote anenvironment in which all members can learn and work
comfortably while respecting diversity and will execute ourfiscal management plan in which to be formulated every
year.
Internal

2. Our Current Situation and Vision

The percentage of female faculty members is now
38%, but that of female administrators has not yet
reached 20%. However, the percentage ofprofessors and associate professors both exceed
30%, so we believe it is essential to promote
female leadership hereafter and to involve moremembers with diverse backgrounds in the decisionmaking process of the university as well as in its
management.

4. Finally, a Word from the President!

The word "magis" is a Latin word meaning "for the better" while
diversity is truly the key concept for attaining what is better.
“The better” can by no means emerge from an egoistic mindset.
The mission of universities is to provide opportunities forencounters that allow people to appreciate differences and to
discover new values as well as ideas.

Note: Statistical data are as of May 2023.

TAKAHASHI Yuko, President of Tsuda University
1.The Challenges of Striving for Diversity in University Management
University is the final chance for students to stretch themselves as far as
possible before going out into the world. When we think about how
students perceive themselves and what kind of landscape they see as theyreconfigure this image, it is important to consider how many images ofwomen there are on campus.
If the university is serious about helping women contribute to society, it isessential to increase the number of women faculty members and the ratioof women managers (both faculty and administration) to close to 50%, andto send a message to the women enrolled that this is a space that sincerely
welcomes and empowers all women. In Japan, I feel that the major
challenge is that we have not done this sufficiently.

2. Our Current Situation and Vision
Tsuda University has set the following goals to continuously improve theresearch environment for women.
•Increase the ratio of women researchers at the professor level to morethan 50%.
•Increase the ratio of women researchers in the natural sciences to 33%
or more.
The ratio of women researchers at the professor level exceeded 50% in
2018, 2020, and 2022, but was 48.4% as of April 1, 2023, so we willcontinue to aim for more than 50%. The ratio in the natural sciences
exceeded 33% in 2017, but as of April 1, 2023, it was 30.8%, so wemust aim for 33% or higher here.

3. Strategies for Achieving Our Vision and the President’s Commitment

4. Finally, a Word from the President!

The aforementioned target for the ratio of women researchers is
published as a message from the President on the employment
information page of the official university website. We will continue toactively promote the appointment of women researchers to higher
positions such as associate professor or professor in order to foster
women leaders.
In addition, we are implementing support programs (such as
the Research Support Staff Assignment Program, ResearchStart-up Support Program, and English Editing Subsidy
Program) to facilitate a smooth return to research for full-time
faculty members whose work has been interrupted due to life
events or other reasons.
These programs are available to both women and men so thatany researcher can take advantage of the support systems,
regardless of gender.
Internal

When the founder of our school, Umeko Tsuda, tried to create an institutionof higher education, women were not only forbidden from enrolling at theImperial Universities, they were also denied admission into the old highschool system. Until the mid-twentieth century, women were in such asituation. The founding spirit of the University was to make the kind of higher
education offered at the old high schools and Imperial Universities of the time
accessible to women.
In addition, before returning to Japan to set up a school, Umeko Tsuda
established a scholarship program where she had been studying abroad. She
had in mind the training of women who would follow in her footsteps.
In other words, women leaders will not spontaneously emerge unless they
are nurtured.
Tsuda University will continue to develop an environment that welcomes,
empowers, and includes women, and will continue to produce women withvitality who can demonstrate leadership and create new trends in society.

FUJII Teruo, President of the University of Tokyo
1.The Challenges of Striving for Diversity in University Management

In UTokyo Compass, our basic policy announced in September 2021,
we positioned diversity and inclusion among our core values. As astep toward the realization of those values, in June 2022 weannounced the University of Tokyo Statement on Diversity &Inclusion (D&I). We are now striving to foster awareness andpromote behavioral transformation among all students, faculty, andstaff. From the viewpoint of gender diversity, the University ofTokyo has a particularly low percentage of women among ourstudents and faculty—only about 20%. We are also keenly awarethat there are very few women in higher positions, such as deans of
our faculties and graduate schools.
3. Strategies for Achieving Our Vision and the President’s Commitment
We have started a program to provide funding to our faculties, graduate
schools, and other internal organizations for the salaries of female
professors and associate professors based on the progress the organizations
make in increasing female faculty. We also hold regular meetings withrepresentatives from each organization gathering to share best practices
and progress reports. To increase the number of women faculty members insenior positions, we are also strengthening programs that support careeradvancement and skill development for female researchers.
Our most important initiative started in 2023, when we began
gender equity training to promote awareness reform among
all university members. In addition to lectures for all
executives, including myself, and for the deans of faculties andgraduate schools, we are conducting follow-up sessions tocontinue deepening our understanding so that all members of
our university community, including at the decision-making
level, can work together to address these issues.
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2. Our Current Situation and Vision

In the 2022 academic year, we launched the UTokyo Gender Equity
Initiative #WeChange to develop female leaders. Our aim is to
double the rate of increase in the percentage of female faculty
members compared to the past decade, with around 300 of the
1,200 professors and associate professors to be appointed by the2027 academic year being women. As of May 2023, thepercentage of women among all faculty members was 17.6%;
through this initiative, that ratio will be increased to 25% by 2027.
We expect that, with more female researchers as role models, inthe future a greater diversity of students will aspire to become
researchers as well.
4. Finally, a Word from the President!

As President of the University of Tokyo, I feel it is my responsibility
to ensure that people of all backgrounds, whatever their gender,
nationality, or disability, can play active roles in our institution andmake the best of their abilities in their own ways and without worry.
UTokyo cherishes creation through dialogue as well as diversity andinclusion, and we aim to create a university that anyone in theworld would want to come to. Although four of our ten executive
vice presidents now are female, the percentage of women among
our students, faculty, and deans of faculties and graduate schools
is still extremely low, creating a very abnormal situation. Japan’s
gender parity is insufficient compared to the rest of the world, andthe University of Tokyo is determined to continue making every
effort to enable more women to play active roles.

UEKI Tomoko, President of Doshisha University
1. The Challenges of Striving for Diversity in University Management
Doshisha University sets the following four central issues for diversity
promotion.
①Gender equality and life support②Multicultural coexistence and international understanding③Support for people with disabilities④Raising awareness about SOGIIn addition to devising and implementing concrete measures for theabove four central issues, we regard it important to collect and analyze
data related to diversity for visualization of the current status, to further
promote diversity, and to develop a diversity mindset in students, faculty
and staff.

2. Our Current Situation and Vision
In accordance with the “Doshisha University Diversity Statement” declared in
March 2021, we are currently promoting diversity through the following initiatives:
１. Aiming to promote a campus environment where members of the university community comingfrom diverse backgrounds can learn and work together, regardless of nationality, gender,
disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity, language, culture, religion, ideas, and beliefs.
２. Aiming to create an inclusive environment that ensures equal opportunity for all members of thediverse Doshisha community to fully demonstrate their individual abilities in education, researchand other areas of activity.
３. Providing systematic support to those who require reasonable accommodation, and in so doing,promoting the development of understanding of the necessity of removing social barriers.
４. Promoting activities to raise awareness of the importance of diversity so as to cultivate individuals
with a mindset that respects the human rights of every person.
See the full text of the Diversity Statement here

3. Strategies for Achieving Our Vision and the President’s Commitment

4. Finally, a Word from the President!

In April 2021, we established the Diversity Promotion Committee under
the direct control of the President for analysis, improvement and working
on measures concerning diversity promotion at the university-wide level.
While each section of the university should be responsible for identifying
and improving their individual issues in diversity promotion, crosssectional issues need to be solved in coordination between different
sections. At Doshisha, the university-wide Committee serves as a hub for
activities promoting diversity in multiple areas including student support,

Among the quotes left by our founder Joseph Hardy Neesima, the one thathas a particularly strong meaning for all who have studied or worked at
Doshisha is “each and every person is precious,” a quote from his speechcommemorating the 10th anniversary of foundation of Doshisha. We havebeen upholding these words of Neesima as an important foundation of ouruniversity management since long before the United Nations pledged toensure “No one will be left behind” in their SDGs policy.
A university must offer an environment where everyone’s diverse views arerespected, and needs to develop in the members of its university community
the ability to understand and coexist with others who have different
backgrounds and values and to develop new creative ideas out of suchdifferences.
We will further continue to enhance our efforts to create a diverse andinclusive campus where people of different backgrounds and circumstances
coexist and shine as their individual selves.

Internal

education, research and international activities. We havealso added diversity promotion in our checking for internal
quality assurance, examining the effectiveness of theinitiatives and taking measures to improve problems andenhance our strengths.

USHIKI Tatsuo, President of Niigata University
1. The Challenges of Striving for Diversity in University Management

2. Our Current Situation and Vision● Important considerations in university administration-Multi-faceted management strategy through co-creation with diverse
stakeholders-Smart and flexible administrative operations that allow for trials and failures-Diverse managerial talent that embodies our philosophy “autonomy andcreativity”● What are the challenges for NU in practicing university
administration that embraces diversity?

● Challenges-How to find and secure diverse talent and nurture managerial talent at NU-How to develop a system to nurture hybrid talent who can align their
qualifications as researchers with qualifications needed for university
administration

3. Strategies for Achieving Our Vision and the President’s Commitment● NU Vision 2030
Target 6-1 under the vision of Management and Organization Reform: Building a vibrantuniversity organization(i) Invigorating the organization and personnel by promoting DE＆I and ramping up personnel
and payroll management● Diversity Statement"... committed to promoting diversity and inclusion, including gender, sexual orientation andgender identity, age, nationality, religion and disability. Regardless of any differences, eachmember will work together, will respect each other while fulfilling their abilities andindividuality, and will establish an environment where knowledge can be created, developed,
and shared."● Concrete measures to secure diverse talent- The female researcher "flourishing" plan, plus measures to increase the number offemale professors (with the use of "personnel points")- The "swing-by" program for young faculty members (bulk hiring and training)

Internal

Robust and resilient administration underpinned by diverse talent for creatinga university that continues to evolve while adapting to social changes● Current status- NU's basic policy for financial administration (NU financial initiative)- NU's personnel policy (ensuring diversity, making fair and strict evaluations,nurturing managerial talent)
Note: Women account for 18.0% of management at NU

4. Finally, a Word from the President!
NU is one of the largest comprehensive universities on the Sea ofJapan's coast side of the Japanese main island of Honshu. While being
rooted in the local community and promoting co-creation with it, NU
aims to deliver future-oriented, world-class education and research.
To this end, it is vital to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE＆I)
on the campus.
This remains a challenge, but we are committed to achieving this goal
through a step-by-step approach, by taking various initiatives whileraising the awareness of the faculty and staff.

Internal