Sophia Magazine vol.1 / SUMMER 2015

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Currently, our planet is facing nu-merous and vexing problems. Father Adolfo Nicolás, Superior General of the Society of Jesus and an alumnus of Sophia University, roughly divided these problems into four categories and indicated their challenges as follows, so that we can work together to nd their solutions. Social Challenge related to pov-erty; Ecological Challenge related to the environment; Cultural Chal-lenge related to education; and Eth-ical Challenge related to humanity and our ways of living. In nding solutions to these prob-lems, it is apparent that these challenges cannot be solved by international organizations alone. Multilayered approaches, which go beyond the realms of nationalities, languages, cultures, philosophies, disciplines, and generations, are called for. To this end, based on the Jesuit educational philosophy, “Men and Women for Others, with Others,” Sophia University chooses to foster and send out into the world people who can work together to solve these problems. When we celebrated our centen-nial in 2013 we upheld our mission for the next century, Sophia —Bringing the World Together. And, this year, with the launch of Sophia Magazine, we aim to share our endeavors with more of the world and thus contribute to bring-ing the world together to nd solu-tions to these problems.TOSHIAKIKOSO Chancellor of Sophia School CorporationProfessor, Faculty of Human Sciences What do you think is one capabil-ity that is truly required in a global society? I believe that it is the capa-bility to fathom our differences. In other words, it is in the spirit of the Society of Jesus, as is the capabil-ity to engage in all kinds of things voluntarily anytime and anywhere. Sophia University is a rare place in Japan where the ability to grasp differences in the world is fostered in students. Located in Japan’s capital, Tokyo, Sophia is linked with a wide range of networks. Both domestic and in-ternational students of 29 depart-ments in nine faculties are able to acquire this ability through trans-Faculty programs and by sharing a variety of intercultural experiences. Sophia’s network is truly multilay-ered, including a Catholic network, various interdisciplinary networks that have been established since its foundation, and an academic net-work with higher education and re-search institutes around the globe. Sophia continues to further expand its coalitions with international organizations and global corpora-tions. Within this multilayered network with the university at its heart, stu-dents and researchers gather from Japan and abroad. They acquire and deepen both cultural and tech-nical knowledge and then take their knowledge and understanding to all corners of the world. I believe that Sophia Magazine will become a new gateway for Sophia’s network as we continue to grow.TAKASHIHAYASHITA President ofSophia UniversityProfessor, Faculty of Science and Technology3