Josai University Educational Corporation

NEWS

Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán Visits Josai

On November 21, 2013, His Excellency Viktor Orbán, Prime Minister of Hungary, visited Tokyo Kioicho Campus, received an honorary doctoral degree and also gave a special lecture.

As part of Josai’s Mid-term Target of strengthening international exchange to cultivate global human resources, our university has formed academic exchange agreements with a number of institutions worldwide, particularly in the Central European country of Hungary. Josai’s first academic exchange agreement with a Hungarian institution was formed in 2007 with the Budapest Business School and has since expanded to nine universities total, including Eötvös Loránd University. In 2013, Josai University and Josai International University sent over 150 students to study abroad in Hungary and hosted nearly 100 Hungarian exchange students in return. In addition, since 2008, a total of 3,000 students have studied the Hungarian language at JU or JIU.
  Josai’s partnership with Hungarian universities in academic exchange has been highly regarded in Hungary, a fact that was confirmed with Prime Minister Orbán’s official visit. During his incredibly busy visit to Japan, which included interviews with the Imperial household and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister Orbán singled-out Josai as the only university he visited. Prime Minister Orbán’s visit also marks the second time a Hungarian government leader has visited Josai, following then President László Sólyom’s visit in December 2009.
  Chancellor Noriko Mizuta, JU President Yasunori Morimoto, and JIU President Hakuo Yanagisawa greeted Prime Minister Orbán’s delegation of 37, which included Zoltán Balog (Minister for Human Resources), Mihály Varga (Minister for National Economy), Péter Szijjártó (State Secretary for Foreign Affairs & International Trade), Hungarian Ambassador to Japan Istvan Szerdahelyi, and Japanese Ambassador to Hungary Tadamichi Yamamoto.
  During Josai’s meeting with the delegation, Chancellor Mizuta said, “It’s a great honor to welcome Prime Minister Orbán to Josai. We vow to continue to work hard to advance academic exchange between Josai and Hungarian universities and develop human resources who will serve as a liaison between our two nations.” Prime Minister Orbán then added, “In this rapidly changing world, the cultivation of the young generation is all the more vital for the development of Hungary. My hope is that our program of academic exchange with Josai will strengthen the bond between our two nations even further.” 

Prime Minister Orbán and Chancellor Mizuta shake hands

Prime Minister Orbán and Chancellor Mizuta shake hands

Waving the Hungarian flag in welcome

Waving the Hungarian flag in welcome

Chancellor Mizuta greets participants

Chancellor Mizuta greets participants

Prime Minister Orbán extends his greetings

Prime Minister Orbán extends his greetings

Following the meeting, a ceremony was held in the basement auditorium to confer Prime Minster Orbán with his honorary doctoral degree. The award was given to acknowledge Prime Minister Orbán’s activities and accomplishments over the years that have led to the prosperity that Hungary enjoys today. Prime Minister Orbán was born in 1963 and graduated from Eötvös Loránd University, one of the Hungarian institutions with which Josai enjoys a program of academic exchange, in 1987. Following the formation of the Alliance of Young Democrats, Prime Minister Orbán has worked tirelessly for the promotion of liberty and democracy in Hungary. In the 1990 national elections, which marked the beginning of the demise of the Communist regime, Orbán retained his seat in Parliament and has since played a pivotal role as a guiding leader of the Democratic People’s Party and later as Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Orbán receives his honorary doctoral degree

Prime Minister Orbán receives his honorary doctoral degree

After the ceremony, Prime Minister Orbán gave a special lecture to commemorate his visit, entitled “Hungary and Europe in a Changing World.” In his speech, the Prime Minister addressed Hungarian infrastructure in the modern age, economic change, and the European history that has influenced these developments, as well as his thoughts for the future. He also included messages for the future generation of young leaders, providing his perspective on the last 25 years of Hungarian history based on his own experience as a leader who worked at the front line of political reform. Nearly 150 attendees sat in rapt attention during Prime Minister Orbán’s lecture, including guests that share a deep connection with Hungary and our university such as―representing the Visegrád Group (V4)―Polish Ambassador Cyryl Kozaczewski, Slovakian Ambassador Michal Kottman, Czech Vice Minister Jan Juchelka, and EU representative Maeve Collins. Guests also included Junpei Watanabe (Director, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science), representatives from the Japan International Cooperation Agency and Japan Science and Technology, in addition to faculty, students and exchange students from Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Canada, to name a few. Students who could not make it into the capacity-filled auditorium were able to listen to a live broadcast in a separate room. The lecture was also broadcast throughout the JU and JIU campuses.
  Following his lecture, Prime Minister Orbán took the time to interact with students who could not make it into the auditorium as well as with exchange students and other attendees. During this time, students who have studied Hungarian at Josai greeted the Prime Minister and expressed thanks for his visit in very fluent Hungarian, while Hungarian exchange students studying at Josai provided reports on their exciting study abroad experience in Japan.

With this recent visit from Prime Minister Orbán, Josai anticipates even closer relations with the nation of Hungary and increased academic exchange with Hungarian universities.

Finally, based on Josai’s academic achievements in the study of Hungary and other parts of Central Europe, academic exchange, human resource development, and undergraduate and graduate education, the establishment of The Josai Institute for Central European Studies on the Tokyo Kioicho Campus was announced to promote joint research.

A view of the lecture hall

A view of the lecture hall

Prime Minister Orbán delivers his lecture

Prime Minister Orbán delivers his lecture

A commemorative photo with students

A commemorative photo with students

Prime Minister Orbán interacts with students

Prime Minister Orbán interacts with students


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