Japan Women's University

[EduCativ]

We support every student in establishing their identity as women in today's world.
Since its establishment in 1901, Japan Women's University has been at the vanguard of women's education in Japan, based on the ideal of our founder, Jinzo Naruse, that women should be 'educated first and foremost as human beings' (Women's Education). When inequality between men and women was still taken for granted in both Japan and Western countries, Naruse promoted the education of women as equals to men. He wished to free women from outdated modes of thinking towards a new awareness and pride in themselves as women and citizens of the world.
From the early days of social inequality, we have produced pioneers in various disciplines, offering comprehensive education in the university's four main Faculties of Home Economics, Humanities, Integrated Arts and Social Sciences, and Science. We were also one of the first universities to establish a graduate school, whose alumnae have been active in many fields.
Students acquire the founder's three principles of 'true conviction,' 'creativity' and 'cooperation and service,' which support them in their lives after graduation, whether in society or the home.
We will continue to value the traditional aims of the university:
To give broad knowledge, instruct and study specialized liberal arts in-depth, cultivate the ability to apply knowledge, and work on perfection of personality to foster the members of a peaceful state and society and improve the educational research level to this end. (Articles 1 and 2 of the university's regulations).
We are also striving to provide educational, research, and other social opportunities that will produce women capable of leadership and innovation in the global and local communities based on the contemporary values of respect for life and respect for others.
These beliefs are maintained at every level of the university, from kindergarten through to graduate school. They include the correspondence courses, which have been running now for more than fifty years, and the lifelong learning center, which offers courses for the local community and the general public and a variety of liaisons with domestic and overseas educational institutions.
As time changes, so too do the purpose of women's education. In the current climate of conflict and competition, the need to harness women's potential is more significant than ever before. Thus, our university's mission is to foster highly specialized abilities useful for resolving the various challenges faced by contemporary society, the capacity to apply and express those abilities, and an awareness of the changing needs and diverse values of the times. Our mission is rooted in the comprehensive education provided under our founder's three principles.
The social advancement of women and the challenge of balancing a career and home life are still problematic in Japan. However, the internal and external networks of Japan Women's University serve as major supports in overcoming such obstacles, containing as they do numerous examples of successful alumnae. We have a significant role to play in working towards the fulfillment of true gender equality.

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