On September 27, Chief Administrator Zhang De Xiang of Dalian University of Technology and Standing Advisor for the Japan-China Society Murai Takashi were presented with honorary doctoral degrees from Chancellor Mizuta of Josai University during the school’s Fall commencement entrance ceremony.

After finalizing an academic exchange agreement with the important Chinese national institution Dalian University of Technology (DUT) on May 25, 2007, Josai and Dalian have been closely involved in a great number of collaborative programs including: the “Mizuta Mikio Memorial” Mizuta Noriko Scholarship, the “Mukaibo Takashi Memorial” Murai Takashi Scholarship, the Mizuta Memorial Book Donation, joint research, visiting lecturer program, internship programs, foundation of the JMBA dual degree program, student exchange program, and special employment training programs. After succeeding the post of Chief Administrator from Dr. Lin An Xi in 2007, Zhang has devoted a great deal of energy to fostering continued exchange between the two universities.

In 2010, under the guidance of Zhang, DUT established a Josai University office within the Dalian campus, which has since served as the center for exchange between the two schools. A joint doctoral program has also been established between the two universities, with Josai making many contributions to the advancement of Japanese language and cultural education at DUT, as well as facilitating exchange between faculty members. All of these developments can be attributed to Zhang’s profound understanding and scholarly achievements in the area of higher education, in addition to his international perspective and pursuit of high ideals. It is in celebration of his achievements that Josai decided to award Chief Administrator Zhang with an honorary doctoral degree.

The second honorary doctorate was presented to Standing Advisor for the Japan-China Society Murai Takashi who, in 1986, along with Honorary Chancellor Mizuta Seiko as group spokesperson and current university President Morimoto Yasunori traveled with a delegation to Yanbian University in China where they finalized the first ever academic exchange agreement between a Japanese and a Chinese university in the Great Hall of the People. As a result, the university came to host more exchange students in the 1980s and 90s than any other school in Saitama prefecture with many of these graduates going on to successful careers in their home country as university professors, diplomats, or members of the corporate elite. Mr. Murai has also provided expert consultation and support in promoting Josai’s academic exchange programs in China, beginning with Dalian University Technology and later expanding to other areas such as Peking, Guangdong, Tianjin, Shenyang, and Nanjing. In addition, Murai has made many contributions to the Japan-China Association for Short Poetry, an organization founded to foster cultural understanding between the two nations. In acknowledgment of these outstanding achievements, Josai awarded Advisor Murai with an honorary doctoral degree.

Following the ceremony, Josai commemorated the occasion by planting three acacia trees in the plot in front of the business school. This event provided the opportunity for Zhang and Murai to chat with exchange students from DUT about their life and studies in Japan. At the commemorative luncheon that followed, the audience was deeply impressed by the fluency of the congratulatory speeches given in Japanese by Chinese exchange students and in Chinese by Japanese students. There were also speeches given by current Hungarian exchange students to welcome the two new exchange students from the Republic of Hungary, making it a very moving event indeed. The two new students were treated to an introduction of the various student activities happening at Josai—from glee club to archery—and relished the opportunity to mingle with other students.