On April 12, 2012, Anna Komorowska, First Lady of the Republic of Poland, visited Tokyo Kioicho Campus of the Josai University Educational Corporation and met Chancellor Noriko Mizuta.
    Josai has been proactively promoting academic exchanges with several countries in Central Europe, including Hungary and Poland with the aim of enhancing international exchange activities to develop global human resource, one of Josai University Educational Corporation’s 《7 J-Vision》. The Ambassador of Poland also visited the school this February. This was the first official visit of the First Lady to Japan. During this trip, not only the First Lady but also Janina Ochojska, the founder and chairperson of Polish Humanitarian Action, and the Vice Chairman of the Polish President’s office, visited Josai University.

During the meeting, Chancellor Mizuta stated that “we are truly grateful for the kind support and encouraging words that Poland gave Japan at the time of the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake. Josai University has actively promoted exchanges with Poland for a long time, and it has been decided that we will accept exchange students from Poland in October. We hope to further deepen our exchanges because of this visit by the First Lady.”
    The First Lady also stated “I am very glad to hear that the exchanges between Josai University and universities in Poland have been actively promoted. I hope that the exchanges between the two countries will become even more active, including exchange students from Josai University to Poland in the future.”

After the meeting, the First Lady and Chairperson Ochojska gave speeches in the underground hall.
    First, the First Lady gave a speech regarding Poland’s “Dr. Janusz Korczak – an activist for children’s rights” in Poland, whose activism inspired the foundation of the “Convention on the Rights of the Child” by the United Nations. The First Lady introduced the philosophy and activities of Dr. Korczak, and also discussed the activities of the “Solidarity Bridge” Project that she promotes, in which organizations from both Japan and Poland support those affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake. She stated “I hope that you will take this opportunity to learn a lot about Dr. Korczak and Poland.”
    Following the First Lady’s speech, Chairperson Ochojska gave a speech titled “Female Leadership and the Activities of Polish Humanitarian Action”. “Polish Humanitarian Action (PAH)” is an organization that promotes activities in various countries in the world that require humanitarian support due to conflicts, natural disasters, and poverty, among other reasons. Ever since the organization’s founding in 1992, they have been involved in the Kosovo Conflict and Chechen war as well as Afghanistan and provided various humanitarian support. Ms. Ochojska proactively promotes activities as the chairperson. In her speech, she introduced the objectives of the organization’s establishment, history, and contents of past activities throughout the world and also introduced specific examples of activities, such as the reconstruction of a kindergarten in Kesennuma that was affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake last year.
    Many students from both universities, including students of the Faculty of Social Work Studies in Josai International University participated and listened to the speeches with great enthusiasm. They asked many questions during the Q&A time as well.
    In the following reception, students from both universities, including overseas exchange students, enjoyed talking to the First Lady, Chairperson Ochojska, and the Ambassador in a friendly atmosphere and deepened understanding between the two countries in an international atmosphere.

Since the year 2009 marked the 90th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Poland, interests for Polish history/culture/scholarship and art are growing recently in Japan. Josai University and Josai International University are also scheduled to host a panel exhibition of Madame Curie, a great Polish figure who is extremely well-known in Japan.
    Josai established an academic exchange agreement with the Polish-Japanese Institute of Information Technology of Poland in September 2011. The first exchange students from the institute are scheduled to come to study at Josai starting in October.

We hope that this official visit by the First Lady will lead to more active exchanges between Josai and universities in Poland in the future.