8. FY2020 Progress[Soka University]■ Common Indicators and Targets
Internationalization○ Increase in the number of international students and enhancement of support•

Courses especially those conducted in English are offered online to secure learning opportunities for international students who cannot travel to Japan due
to the COVID-19 pandemic. Online education opportunities are to be provided during normal times and have been developed to expand opportunities forexchange.
• Online open campus events were held for potential students in Japan and other countries, providing opportunities to interact in real-time with currentstudents and faculty members of Soka University.
○ Promotion of study abroad opportunities for Japanese students• During FY2020 due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic, study abroad programs and short-term overseas training programs were developed and offered
online which enabled students to participate in courses conducted by overseas universities without physically traveling abroad.
• The Faculty of Science and Engineering incorporated a COIL educational program and organized joint classes with overseas partner institutions to provide
project-based learning opportunities to learn together with the students of our partner institutions. The University is preparing to introduce a platform topromote COIL education as a university-wide initiative.
• The list of our overseas partner institutions has expanded to 225 institutions in 62 countries and regions with the addition of one new region. Utilizing thiswide overseas network, the University is realizing a new form of international exchanges with partner universities through online channels such as a
research presentation/exchange meeting with Dalian University of Foreign Languages and an exchange meeting with the faculty members and students of
the University of California, San Francisco.

○ Activities of overseas offices•••The establishment of overseas liaison offices in Beijing, Korea, Thailand, and the Philippines has strengthened the University’s response in times ofemergency for students studying in those and surrounding countries, thereby contributing to the safety and security of the students and the peace of mindof their guardians. In response to the COVID-19 crisis in 2020, Soka University and its overseas offices communicated closely to provide the latest
information to the students studying in the area, secure learning environment for them, and support them with the procedures to return home safely.
The Thailand Office organized a study-abroad information session (once during the academic year) and the Fourth Joint Seminar held at Thammasat
University. The Korea Office also held a university information session to promote the university by utilizing its network of international students and an
online session to provide explanations on the admission exam and individual consultations on a real-time basis.
Preparations are progressing to open the University of Kenya-Soka University Liaison Office at the University of Nairobi, Kenya as a hub of educational
exchanges with Africa.

○ Enhancement of opportunities to learn multiple languages• The World Language Center (WLC) offers language education programs across morethan 10 languages including English to improve students’ language proficiency andcross-cultural understanding. WLC has started to provide various online programs in
addition to programs provided in person, offering students opportunities toexperience various languages and learn from each other, even when they arephysically far apart in different countries.
○ Activities of the South Asia Research Center (SARC)• Since its establishment in 2019, SARC has organized and promoted symposiums andresearcher exchanges on topics concerning South Asia, as well as student exchange
sessions with Delhi University and other institutions.
• SARC organized three online seminars in 2020. A keynote speech was given by H.E.
Mr. Sanjay Kumar Verma, Ambassador of India to Japan, in an international conference
held in October.

Online student exchange withSt. Stephen's College, University of Delhi

Governance reform○ Faculty development (FD) seminars• Three FD online seminars were held with a visiting faculty member of the TESOL Program to improve English teaching techniques and class operation.
• As various activities are increasingly transitioning to an online platform due to the COVID-19 crisis, faculty development (FD) and staff development (SD)seminars were held to improve online class operation and build familiarity with ZOOM and other applications.
○ Appointment and recruitment of faculty/staff members who are non-Japanese nationals• When the Faculty of International Liberal Arts was established, a professor who is a US national was appointed as the Faculty Dean and Vice President forInternational Exchange. Later in FY2020, a US national and a Canadian national were appointed as Dean and Associate Dean, respectively.
• A Korean national was appointed as Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering and an Australian national was appointed as Assistant Director
at the World Language Center.

Educational reform○ Outcome of language education• The number of courses offered in foreign languages increased to 1,063 in FY2020. The percentage of course
syllabuses written in English expanded from 10.3% to 44.5%, already above the target of 37.7% for the finalyear.
• The number of students who have achieved our foreign language proficiency standard (equivalent to TOEFLiBT® 80 or above) increased by approx. 4.3 times from 296 in FY2013 to 1,299 in FY2020 (17.5% of the entire
student body).
○ First cohort of students to complete master’s program in the Graduate School of International Peace Studies• In March 2020, the first cohort of students graduated from the master’s program of the Graduate School ofInternational Peace Studies (SIPS), which was established in April 2018. Some of the graduates are advancing todoctoral programs in overseas graduate schools, while others are pursuing careers at international organizations.

First cohort of students and faculty
members of SIPS

[Soka University]■ University’s own indicators and targets○ Expansion of exchanges with African universities, etc.
• Exchanges with African universities have grown from exchanges with 8 universities in 6 countries at the time the initiative was started to 14 universities in
10 countries in FY2020, meeting our target of “10 countries”.
○ Increase in the number of students advancing to overseas graduate schools• The number of students admitted to overseas graduate schools increased 1.8 times from 30 in FY2013 to 54 in FY2020. Major graduate schools include theUniversity of Oxford (UK), Central European University (Hungary), University of Groningen (Netherlands), and the University of Glasgow (UK).

■ Featured initiatives based on the characteristics of the university○ Strengthening of joint research and collaboration with partner universities and organizations in Japan andoverseas• An international joint research project with African countries promoted by Soka University was selected by theJapan Science and Technology Agency (JST) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) as one of theFY2020 Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (SATREPS) Projects.
• The project for producing aquatic resources through the cultivation of microalgae will be carried out fromFY2021 over a five-year period including the preparation period in 2020, with Soka University as the lead
institution and three other Japanese institutions and corporations (University of Shiga Prefecture, Lake Biwa
Environmental Research Institute, and Mitsubishi UFJ Research & Consulting) and three institutions andcorporations from Ethiopia (Bahir Dar University, Injibara University, and Lake Tana Water Conservation andDevelopment Organization).

(Top) Water hyacinth covers the surface of Lake Tana
all the way to the horizon.
(Bottom right) Spirulina Culture Pond constructed atBahir Dar University in Ethiopia through thePLANE3T research project.

○ Entered the ranking and ranked up in various university rankings• In the Times Higher Education (THE) Japan University Rankings, the University ranked in Top 10 for two consecutive years in the Internationality category.
• In the QS Asia University Rankings 2021 (announced in November 2020), the University ranked as follows: International faculty: 54th (4th in Japan),
Outbound exchange students: 101th (8th in Japan), Inbound exchange students: 134th (17th in Japan), and International students: 141th (26th in Japan).
○ Soka University President Yoshihisa Baba inaugurated as the President of the Association of Southeast Asian Institutions of Higher Learning (ASAIHL)• In December 2020, Soka University President Baba was appointed as the President of ASAIHL. The annual ASAIHL General Meeting was held at Soka
University in March 2018 for the first time in Japan.

○ Initiatives under the self-funding plan to continue initiatives in the Top Global University Project after the end of government funding• As a financial foundation to support the University's initiatives for the Top Global University Project as well as the further globalization of the university
after the project completion, a donation project dedicated to this project was initiated, and a special fund has been established under the third capitalfund. The University is about to reach the target of collecting a total of 3 billion yen for the fund.
○ Initiatives for the Global Citizenship Program (GCP) and improvement of student motivation• The Global Citizenship Program (GCP), a cross-faculty program designed for students aspiring to be active in the international community, was initiatedas part of the Soka University’s Grand Design Initiative launched in 2010. Ever since the start of the program, GCP has significantly contributed toimproving student motivation and achieving numerical targets of the Top Global University Project, as demonstrated by many GCP students achieving
high English proficiency (80% of them score 800 or higher in TOEIC), participating in international conferences as a representative of Japan, advancing tograduate schools overseas or getting a job at foreign-affiliated companies, and 80% of the GCP students going on study-abroad programs.

■ Others○ 50th Anniversary Commemorative Project “Value Creation x SDGs” events• Soka University celebrated its 50th anniversary on April 2, 2021. In commemoration, a series of symposiums underthe theme of “Value Creation x SDGs” are being held periodically. Experts are invited to give keynote speeches onvarious fields of focus under the theme of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and initiatives by Soka
University are shared.
• Following the 7th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD7) post-event held last year,commemorative lectures were held inviting H.E. Mr. Lulama Smuts Ngoyama, Ambassador Extraordinary ofthe Republic of South Africa to Japan, and Ms. Beatrice Fihn, Executive Director of the International Campaign toAbolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). During the “Value Creation x SDGs” Week in December, symposiums, youth
sessions organized by students, and exhibitions were held under the theme of “Peace and Human Rights” over aweek.

Special lecture by Ms. Beatrice Fihn,
Executive Director of ICAN

○ A “virtual consultation desk” for international students• A virtual consultation desk was setup so that international students could contact the staff of the International
Affairs Office for consultation anytime and from anywhere around the world.
○ Student activities• A Soka University student made a keynote report in the 2020 Online Japan-Russia Youth Forum. The purpose ofthe Forum is to have students who will shoulder the future Japan-Russia relations engage in discussions onthemes of interest for students of both countries.
• An international student in the Graduate School of Science and Engineering won the Overall Best Presentation
Award in the 2nd World Conference on Waste Management 2021.
• An international student in the master’s program of Environmental Engineering for Symbiosis, Graduate School ofScience and Engineering (double degree program with the University of Valladolid, Spain) won an excellent
presentation award (encouragement category) in the 18th Annual Meeting of the Wood Carbonization ResearchSociety (WCRS) held online.

Commemorative lecture
Mr. Régis Savioz,
by Mr. Ngoyama,
Head of Delegation in Japan,
Ambassador of theInternational Committee ofRepublic of South Africa
the Red Cross (ICRC)

Dr. Brian J. Adams, former Director of theCentre for Interfaith & Cultural Dialogue,
Griffith University