On Sunday April 29, 2012, the World University Presidents Forum was held in the underground hall of the Tokyo Kioicho Campus to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the founding of Josai International University.

This forum, grouped university presidents and representatives from 12 partner universities from nine countries and regions in Europe, America and Asia. The main theme was Global Education in a Changing World－The Role of the University in the Development of Human Resources.
    Chancellor Noriko Mizuta opened the forum saying “now, as we reach a great turning point on a global level, starting with the great earthquake in Japan last year and including the world's financial, societal, and environmental, status, the role of universities is extremely vital. I would like all of us university presidents and representatives who have joined here today to deepen the discussion regarding future global human resource development and cooperation.”

During this forum, participating universities split into two sessions and gave their opinions from the point of view of their respective countries' economies and cultures, their respective universities, their field of expertise, regarding various problems faced by higher educational institutions across the world, such as “human resources in order to cut through this era and overcome the dangers and issues” “efforts in global education, future coordination and cooperation between universities,” and “education bringing together the global and regional.”
    Participating university presidents were all able to deepen their mutual understanding of the importance of global communication and the importance of detailed goals and actions designed to fit each country's circumstances.

This forum attracted about 200 people, including overseas officials such as ambassadors from Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Bulgaria, countries with long-lasting ties with this university, as well as people from government and financial organizations, business, the media, and people from other universities. They were all listening intently to the speeches of the participating universities.
    The forum was followed by reception held at another site, where participants exchanged their impressions regarding the forum Yutaka Tokiwa, Deputy Director-General of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology Assistant Vice-Minister, Minister's Secretariat gave a speech regarding expectations of future international exchange activities at this university. At the reception, there was a lively exchange of ideas among the participants regarding human resource cultivation and how universities should be in the future, as well as globalization.

“I hope that this forum will lead to a much deeper discussions regarding the role of universities and human resource cultivation in the global era, and to a further strengthening of international cooperation among universities in the future,” said senior staff from Josai.

“World University Presidents Forum attendees” (in order of sessions)
Session 1

Josai International University　President Hakuo Yanagisawa

Szent István University (Hungary)　Rector László Solti

Camosun College (Canada)　President Kathryn Laurin

Busitema University (Uganda)　Vice-Chancellor Mary Jossy Nakandha Okwakol

Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (Korea)　President Park Chul

University of Cologne (Germany)　Director Wolfgang Jagodzinski

Northeastern University (China)　Vice-President Wang Fuli

Session 2

Josai University　President Yasunori Morimoto

Dongseo University (Korea)　President Chang Jekuk

Tianjin Foreign Studies University (China)　President Xiu Gang

Budapest Business School (Hungary)　Rector Éva Sándor-Kriszt

North Karelia University of Applied Sciences (Finland)　President Petri Raivo

Tamkang University (Taiwan) 　Vice-President Tai Wan-chin

Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (Malaysia)　Vice-President Ewe Hong Tat