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A group of ambitious young men founded Hosni University at the beginning of the modern era in Japan for ordinary citizens who had become aware of human rights and sought law knowledge. Hosei University has embraced the spirit of freedom and Progress throughout its long history. However, the times may change; this spirit never diminishes in value. In any era, individuals and organizations must preserve their freedom and independence from the powers that they may continually question the status quo and work toward creating a new society, undeterred by the difficult challenges and constraints of their time. The builders of a new era are those with the ability to forge new values by thinking for themselves, viewing issues from various perspectives, and arriving at fair, independent judgments. People possessed of such an attitude and equipped with the knowledge and skills to put their ideas into practice are citizens in the fullest sense of the word. Over history, the word citizen has been used in many different ways. Here, however, we define a citizen as someone who can internalize the viewpoints of diverse members of the local and global community from a supranational perspective, who is motivated by an awareness of his or her relationship with the rest of society transcending concerns of personal gain or material consumption, and who is capable of building his or her role in that society. More than anything else, twenty-first-century society needs such citizens. Hosei University aims to equip its students to live their lives as free citizens in any part of the world. An environment conducive to active learning is vital for this purpose, and Hosei University will do everything to create such an educational environment. Only with such a firm foundation can an advanced education be put to fair use. It is no service to society to cultivate specialized knowledge in a vacuum, divorced from the excellent judgment essential to citizenship. Only those who have character and breadth of vision along with specialized knowledge and skills can avoid the pitfalls of soulless erudition and science devoid of humanity as they go through life. Academic research needs a "pioneering spirit." Japanese research is no longer a purely domestic undertaking. Japanese researchers cultivate links with institutions and individuals around the world as they address problems of global scope. With an eye to the future, the university will provide scientific inquiry resources via basic research while supporting research based on practical wisdom to help solve the world's problems. Indeed cutting-edge research is research carried out to secure short-term gain and help solve the world's problems. It takes the lead through partnerships with other social institutions and stakeholders to blaze new trails and open the way to a brighter future. Hosei University's "pioneering spirit" is manifested first and foremost in its approach to research. The primary aim of an education grounded in freedom and Progress and of research approached in a pioneering spirit is creating a sustainable global community. In order to build a sustainable global community, human society must change. That will require further scientific research to elucidate the mechanisms of natural phenomena and ecosystems. But it will also require a shift in our thinking and values, which means closer interaction and collaboration among the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences to foster integrated knowledge embracing all three branches. Energy policies predicated on ecological biodiversity and natural material cycles, the forging of new values transcending national and regional differences, rebuilding local communities, and a deep appreciation of regional cultural diversity—all these things are keys to a sustainable global community. Natural, social, and cultural sustainability should be the unified goal of education and research worldwide. Hosei University intends to contribute to the global community by playing a meaningful role in this enterprise. By 2030, Hosei University will serve both as a global center for citizens' education, training citizens capable of living in freedom and of actively, autonomously pursuing their ideals, and as a wellspring of knowledge and ideas for the development of a healthy, democratic, sustainable society through applied research-oriented to practical solutions, along with serious basic research in each field. To nurture independence, initiative, creativity, critical thinking, judgment, and the ability to get things done, we will cultivate logical and analytical thinking through the natural and social sciences and broad-based literacy through necessary studies in the Japanese language, foreign language, media literacy, and the humanities, while stressing their relevance to advanced and professional studies. View full university