October 26th, 2024

The “Oh well, it's okay Cafe (Dementia Cafe)” initiative, held at Lavy's Café on March 17, 2024, was broadcast on October 13 in ARD Deutsche Welle's “Weltspiegel,” a report by an overseas correspondent of ARD Deutsche Television.

The “Oh well, it’s okay Cafe” is a cafe event where people with dementia serve customers. It is an initiative to send a message about a society where people with disabilities, such as dementia, can live with peace of mind. The event has been held five times at Lavy's Café, and the fourth event was broadcast. Students and faculty from the University's School of Nursing also participate as volunteers.

Professor Atsuko Tokushige of the School of Nursing said, “Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, was named after the German doctor who discovered it. It is very moving to see that the “Oh well, it's okay Cafe” has been featured in Germany. We will continue our efforts to further disseminate information.

October 25th, 2024

The “Women's Leadership Training: Creating a Working Culture of Mutual Respect” (sponsored by the Center for the Empowerment of Women Leaders) began online on October 5 and will be held a total of five times until December 7.

This training program focuses on creating a diverse organizational culture. It aims to enhance communication, teamwork, creativity, and sensitivity by focusing on diversity in the workplace. Two professors from Gonzaga University (Washington, U.S.A.), a partner university of MWU, served as lecturers, and 20 faculty and graduate students participated in the program.

The first session, titled “Women Leaders in the World,” traced the history of women and minorities from women's suffrage to the MeToo movement and Black Lives Matter in recent years. The participants also received lectures on their relationship with politics, the steep challenges to equity, and issues in academia (research institutions) and higher education.

In the second half of the training, the participants deepened their understanding of former New Zealand Prime Minister Ardern's maternity leave during her tenure as prime minister and her leadership through the pandemic, and further discussed comparisons with Japanese politicians, social construction of gender, and stereotyping.

October 23rd, 2024

"Blue Mac Day,” a charity event to support Ronald McDonald House, a lodging facility for children and their families who are hospitalized or visiting hospitals far from home, was held at McDonald's restaurants nationwide around October 20, and students from the School of Business Administration and high school students of MWU volunteered at the stores to collect donations.

There are 12 Ronald McDonald Houses in Japan, which are operated by donations and volunteers. In the course of an industry-university collaborative project with McDonald's to develop human resources for sustainability, students from the School of Business Administration have been participating in training programs at Ronald McDonald House Kobe (Kobe House), including tours and volunteer cleaning activities.

At the Tsukashikan town center in Amagasaki City, students from the School of Business Administration stood around the plaza wearing matching blue jumpers and joined the staff in appealing for donations.

Manaka Hanai, a first-year student in the Department of Business Administration, said, “I joined the event because I wanted to help sick children and their families. It was my first time to volunteer, so I was happy to see so many donations.” A fellow first-year Misaki Arai, said, “It was a new experience for me to be able to interact with such small children. It made me incredibly happy to think that I was helping someone, and I am glad that I participated."

October 22nd, 2024

Hiroto Shimizu, an alumni who is working to broaden understanding as an LGBTQ activist, has published a book titled “Ichiban Yasashii LGBTQ (KADOKAWA)” (The Gentle Guide to LGBTQ). For Shimizu, who says he is proud to have studied at the University, the Main Campus is a place where he dealt with feelings of confusion. Upon publication of the book, he was asked by his alma mater's Research Institute for Women's Career Advancement and Gender Equality Development to give a lecture at their cultural festival, and on October 12, he spoke about his own experiences and the changes in society regarding LGBTQ.

“Until about 10 years ago, many people in schools and companies did not even know the term LGBTQ”, said Shimizu. 2015 saw the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology issue a notice demanding consideration for sexual minorities in schools, and since then, LGBTQ has been mentioned in textbooks, partnership systems have been introduced in various regions, and understanding of diversity and the establishment of systems have been gradually progressing.

Mr. Shimizu himself was born the eldest of three sisters and grew up feeling uncomfortable with the games and clothes that were forced upon him because he was a girl. He says, “Girls' swimsuits, red and pink kimonos for traditional events, and one-piece dresses handmade by my grandmother. I was grateful for it, but I was desperate to send out the message, 'I like what I like,' even though I was very young. But they wouldn't listen to me, saying, 'Because you're a girl,' or 'it’s the way it is.' My understanding of diversity was much less than it is now,” he says.

"The adults in a child's life, especially teachers, play a crucial role in their education,” says Mr. Shimizu. That is why he decided to enter Mukogawa Women's University, which has a proven track record in teacher training, to pursue a career in education, “I want to be able to help children so that they can live their own lives."

Although he was worried that he might have trouble in the future as a graduate of a women's university, the women's university, where “there are no distinctions between men and women, and you're free to dress as you like,” freed Shimizu and made him decide to come out of the closet. "When I told my friends in tears, they cried with me saying how much they appreciated me telling them," said Shimizu.

After receiving a diagnosis of gender identity disorder at the hospital, Shimizu began hormone therapy, which brought about new struggles for him. "As my body gradually became more masculine, I was questioned about my gender even when I went to the bathroom,” he said.

At the age of 21, he changed his name and gender on his family register. Now that he has met his partner and is the father of two children, he is expanding his role by giving lectures at educational institutions, corporations, and local governments throughout Japan. "I began to love myself once I was married. I was able to choose my own path,” he says. In his book, he explains in an easy-to-understand tone, using his own experiences, his perspective on LGBTQ as well as the laws and systems in place.

Shimizu kept a smile on his face during his two-hour lecture at his alma mater. “There are many people who are still struggling from the same problems,” he said. “If people around them let go of their preconceived notions of how people should be, I think we can create a society where everyone can live comfortably,” he said calmly.

October 17th, 2024

On October 12, 10 students of the Department of Innovative Food Sciences, School of Food Sciences and Nutrition, departed for a short-term overseas training program at Bahçecihir University in Turkey, where they will observe and practice for two weeks until October 26.

The Department of Innovative Food Sciences has been implementing a reciprocal visit program with Bahçecihir University in Turkey, with which the university has an exchange agreement, since FY2023 with the aim of nurturing talented individuals who aspires to work internationally in the food industry, which is becoming increasingly globalized. During their study abroad, students will learn about Turkish cuisine, one of the world's three major cuisines, and its food culture, as well as experience the transnational expansion of the food industry and develop a global perspective. The program also contributes to expanding academic exchange between the two universities.

The aim is to develop this mutual exchange program into a short-term study abroad program at each university as a regular curriculum with credits granted in the long run. The promotion of interactions among faculty members through research is also a goal of the program.

Haruka Mine, a fourth-year student in the Department of Innovative Food Sciences, who will participate in the reciprocal visit program, said, “I am looking forward to visiting Cappadocia and learning about all the local fermented food products in Turkey."

Wakana Nakayama, a third-year student of the same department, added, “I am looking forward to visiting Turkey and learning about the culture, spices, and other characteristics of Turkish cuisine, which is one of the world's three major cuisines. I hope to interact with the local people there too."

October 17th, 2024

The 2024 Joint Animal Memorial Service was held on October 11. The School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and the School of Food and Nutritional Sciences, both of which conduct animal experiments, hold a joint animal memorial service every year to express their gratitude for the precious lives of the experimental animals sacrificed in the course of their education and research.

About 120 faculty, staff, and students involved in animal experiments gathered at the service to express their condolences to the animals involved in the experiments.

At the beginning of the ceremony, President Kazuyoshi Seguchi gave a speech, saying, “I hope that you will understand the importance of animal experiments in pharmaceutical and nutritional sciences, and that you will always be aware of the 3Rs in animal experiments as you pursue your research."