The symposium was held to present the findings of the International Collaborative Research Project on the Visualization of Learning Outcomes in Higher Education, which has been led by Sophia University President Miki Sugimura as principal investigator since 2021. The rapid spread of generative AI is significantly transforming the way students engage in learning and research activities, including information retrieval, analytical methods, and the preparation of reports and academic papers. At the same time, educators are increasingly required to develop new approaches to supporting students throughout their learning processes and academic journeys.

As the fundamental purpose and role of higher education are being reconsidered in the age of AI, the symposium aimed to discuss what forms of learning universities should provide and to explore both the significance and challenges of the “deeper learning” promoted at Sophia University.

The second half of the symposium featured a panel discussion moderated by President Sugimura, joined by Professor Makoto Ikeda of the Department of English Literature, Faculty of Humanities. As Vice President for Academic Affairs, Professor Ikeda is leading the curriculum review scheduled for the next academic year and promoting deeper learning across the University. Building on the discussions earlier in the symposium, Professor Ikeda emphasized the need for a shift toward education that places greater importance on “authenticity.” He identified four distinctly human strengths that AI cannot replicate—Awareness, Agency, Action, and Affection—and emphasized the importance of authentic assessment that evaluates not only individual outcomes but also the processes of discussion and collaboration among students.

The panelists went on to engage in a wide-ranging discussion on topics including methods for assessing learning processes, feasibility and cost, and the potential for utilizing AI in education. Numerous questions were also submitted by both in-person and online participants, and the speakers responded to each question thoughtfully and in detail.

The symposium highlighted a shared recognition that while advances in AI are bringing profound changes to the nature of higher education, the importance of uniquely human capabilities—including creativity, critical thinking, and dialogue with others—is becoming greater than ever. How can universities harness the potential of AI while continuing to foster forms of learning that are uniquely human? For participants, the symposium provided a valuable opportunity to consider the future of higher education and the role universities should play in the age of AI.

Thank you for your kind understanding.

Yukata Day was established to provide international students with an opportunity to experience Japanese culture while fostering interaction among students, faculty, and staff through spending the day together in yukata. First launched in 2013 as part of the University’s 100th Anniversary commemorative celebrations, the event marked its 13th year in 2026.

This year’s theme, “Spreading a Moment of Japanese Elegance at Sophia,” reflected the hope that members of Sophia’s diverse community would come together in yukata and share the beauty of Japanese summer traditions. The event was planned and organized by nexnect, a student extracurricular organization, which coordinated a variety of activities across the campus.

Outside Building No. 6, a traditional festival area featured complimentary games such as target shooting and ring toss, attracting enthusiastic crowds eager to win prizes. The New Swing Jazz Orchestra entertained visitors with lively performances, adding to the festive atmosphere. Another popular attraction was a complimentary shaved ice giveaway organized by SSIC, where students cooled off from the summer heat while enjoying conversations with friends.

The University’s Calligraphy Club and Tea Ceremony Club also offered hands-on cultural experiences. International students dressed in yukata had the opportunity to practice Japanese calligraphy and learn the etiquette of the tea ceremony, deepening their appreciation of Japan’s rich cultural heritage.

The co-chairs of Sophia Yukata Day 2026, Kazuki Ikariishi and Yuki Aso of nexnect, reflected on this year’s celebration.

“Blessed with beautiful summer weather, this year’s Yukata Day welcomed many members of the Sophia community, who enjoyed spending the day together in colorful yukata. Through new collaborations, we expanded the range of activities, enhanced nexnect’s signature programs, and introduced refreshed photo spots, creating new experiences for both first-time and returning participants. We sincerely thank everyone who supported this year’s event. Looking ahead to Yukata Day’s 15th anniversary, we will continue working to make next year’s celebration even more memorable.”

Kazuki Ikariishi
Co-Chair, Sophia Yukata Day 2026
Third-year student, Department of Theology, Faculty of Theology

“We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all the students, faculty, and staff who participated in this year’s Yukata Day. It was wonderful to see the campus filled with people wearing colorful yukata. One of the new highlights this year was the wind chime display in the central courtyard, which attracted far more visitors than we had anticipated. We hope to continue introducing new programs so that even more members of the Sophia community can enjoy Yukata Day in the years ahead. Finally, I would like to thank all the student organizations, University staff, and fellow nexnect members whose support made this event possible.”

Yuki Aso
Co-Chair, Sophia Yukata Day 2026
Second-year student, Department of Information and Communication Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology

Farai Maringa was among four members of Sophia University’s Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies (GENV) who travelled to Cebu for the 2026 International Conference on Resource Sustainability (icRS). The delegation also included Professor Akemi Ori, Dr. Nkweauseh Reginald Longfor, Marlen Kwamboka Mochoge (GENV master’s student and JICA scholar). Together, the group delivered five research presentations, chaired two parallel sessions, and returned with an award.

The conference brings together researchers from the natural sciences, social sciences, and engineering around a shared question: how should resources of all kinds, physical, biological, and those society tends to lose track of, like waste, be managed sustainably? The 2026 edition drew participants from universities and institutions across Asia, Europe, and the Americas, with sponsorship from the journal Resources, Conservation & Recycling (2024 Impact Factor: 10.9) and six other partner journals.

Maringa’s presentation titled “Waste Separation Systems in Central Tokyo: Evaluating Linguistic and Structural Barriers Faced by Foreign Residents” was delivered in the Environmental Behaviour session on Monday, June 15. The study focused on Tokyo’s 23 special wards, combining quantitative surveys of both foreign and Japanese residents with qualitative interviews of ward officials in three high-density wards: Shinjuku, Taito, and Minato.

The findings shifted the blame away from individual residents. Key barriers identified included:

• Non-standardized rules across wards, cited by ward officials themselves as a primary compliance hurdle
• A broken information chain: over 50% of foreign respondents reported never receiving a formal waste separation orientation, with some never receiving guidelines at all due to poor communication from building managers
• Specific category confusion, particularly for oversized garbage requiring Japanese-language phone booking, and the distinction between recyclables and combustible waste

Maringa applied the Cultural Theory of Risk to map how different residents approach the system, identifying four distinct compliance patterns: hierarchists (rule-followers), egalitarians (community-adapters), individualists (independent problem-solvers), and fatalists (those overwhelmed and disengaged). The icRS 2026 award committee noted that this framework extends well beyond Tokyo to any city managing waste systems across diverse communities.

The Outstanding Young Scientist Oral Presentation Award was presented by the icRS organizing committee at the end of the icRS 2026 to recognize early-career researchers producing work of exceptional quality. The award is designed to encourage the next generation of scholars in resource sustainability. The award ceremony was held on Wednesday, June 17, the final day of the conference.

Reflecting on the award, Maringa commented:

This recognition affirms the importance of centering foreign residents in urban sustainability research. Waste separation is often treated as a technical problem, but it is fundamentally a governance and communication challenge. I hope this work contributes to making Tokyo’s environmental systems more proficient in regard to the broken communication lines and offers a framework that other cities can adapt.

The Sophia University group delivered a total of five presentations across Monday, June 15, spanning three continents and a wide range of resource sustainability challenges:

• Marlen Kwamboka Mochoge (GENV Master’s Student, JICA Scholar): Sustainable end-of-life management of solar photovoltaic waste in Kenya, the Solar Energy session chaired by Prof. Ori
• Dr. Nkweauseh Reginald Longfor (Assistant Professor at GENV): Urban sprawl, functional centrality, and traffic externalities in Yaoundé’s satellite towns, Cameroon, in the Urban Systems session
• Farai Maringa (GENV PhD Student, MEXT Scholar): Waste separation barriers for foreign residents in Central Tokyo in the Environmental Behavior session
• Professor Akemi Ori (Professor at GENV): Toward a governance framework for sustainable packaging systems in Japan in the Sustainable Packaging session
• Dr. Nkweauseh Reginald Longfor (Assistant Professor at GENV): Assessing progress toward a circular economy in Cameroon and Ghana in the Circular Economy session, which he also chaired

Beyond presenting their own research, Prof. Ori and Dr. Longfor each chaired a parallel session on Monday, June 15, guiding the discussion, managing the floor, and fielding questions across a set of papers from researchers around the world. A review of the full conference program confirms that the three Africa-focused studies presented by the Sophia group were the only presentations addressing African countries or contexts across the entire icRS 2026 conference, underscoring the Graduate School’s commitment to research on the African continent.

Out of the five studies presented by the Sophia University group at icRS 2026, three have been submitted through the conference’s journal partnership channel and are currently under peer review. Partner journals include Resources, Conservation & Recycling; the Journal of Environmental Management; the Journal of Industrial Ecology; Sustainable Production and Consumption; and the Journal of Environmental Informatics, among others. The findings of these studies will be shared on the Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies’ website upon acceptance and publication.

Maringa is continuing doctoral research at GENV under the supervision of Professor Akemi Ori and Dr. Nkweauseh Reginald Longfor, building on the momentum from the ICRS 2026.

For further information about the icRS 2026 conference, visit: https://www.icrsconf.com/icrs_2026.html 

Founded in 1919, Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service is the leading graduate school in the field of international relations and is highly regarded in areas such as international security, diplomacy, international politics, international development, and political economy.

Located in Washington, D.C., at the center of international politics, Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service provides students with direct exposure to international relations and security through its proximity to major institutions and regular engagement with national security leaders from the United States and around the world.

Within the Georgetown School of Foreign Service, the Security Studies Program (SSP) , offers a Master of Arts in Security Studies, a multidisciplinary degree that prepares students for a career in defense and security. SSP professors mentor and educate the next generation of national security leaders, diplomats, intelligence analysts, and scholars, equipping them to think critically and respond responsibly to the complex national and international security challenges of the 21st century.

Through the Special Admissions Program, our students who meet the prescribed requirements can aim to enter the Security Studies Program through a system different from the general application process.

For the up-to-two scholarship recipients who are admitted directly from a Sophia undergraduate program to the SSP Program, SSP will award a scholarship equivalent to a 40% deduction of the currently published full-time Georgetown tuition rate for the Program. The scholarship will not be applied to Georgetown University fees and SSP Program fees, which the student will be required to pay in full.

With this program expansion, opportunities to advance to a world-class education and research environment will further increase for students wishing to pursue graduate studies in international relations.

The Special Admission Program for Overseas Graduate Schools is a system that allows our students preferential review and certain tuition fee reductions when they apply to prominent overseas graduate schools. We currently have agreements with institutions such as Georgetown University, Columbia University, Boston College, and Hult International Business School.

Until now, we have implemented the Special Admission Program with Georgetown University for the Department of Government and the McCourt School of Public Policy, and this time SSP will be newly added as an additional destination in addition to these.

While studying international law at university, I became interested in seeing how international law is actually implemented in practice. I was also considering pursuing graduate studies at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies(Geneva Graduate Institute), so the opportunity to interact with graduate students there was another major reason I decided to participate.

Sophia University offers two opportunities each year to visit the United Nations and other international organizations: one during the summer break through the Study Visit to the International Organizations in Geneva, and another during the spring break through the Intensive Course at the UN Headquarters in N.Y. Since I was particularly interested in graduate studies in Switzerland, I chose the Geneva program.

I was thrilled and a bit nervous at the same time about visiting international organizations. During the pre-departure sessions, we learned about strict security measures, such as areas where photography is prohibited and organizations that require visitor passes to be issued in advance. Learning about these procedures made the whole experience feel even more real.

Before departure, I familiarized myself with each organization by reading information on their official websites. Looking back, since we were given many opportunities to ask staff members questions, I wish I had prepared more thoughtful questions that could only be answered through direct conversation rather than by reading online information.

Every evening before going to bed, I wrote down my reflections on the organizations we had visited that day. Since the program was relatively short, I wanted to focus not only on making the most of my time in Geneva but also truly consider how I could utilize what I learned after returning home.

French is the primary language spoken in Geneva, and many signs and product labels were written only in French. Even buying something as simple as shampoo was challenging. I relied on my smartphone’s translation tools and communicated in English whenever necessary.

Before joining the program, I had been considering attending graduate school overseas. Visiting Geneva certainly uplifted my aspiration, but it also helped me recognize areas where I need to improve and introduced me to career paths I had not previously considered. As a result, the experience became an important opportunity to rethink my future plans.

Studying abroad may involve worries or require you to make certain sacrifices. However, it also offers truly irreplaceable experiences that you could never have imagined before leaving. If you’re unsure, I encourage you to take the leap and challenge yourself.

Sophia Archives of Sophia School Corporation has discovered valuable historical documents related to the founding of Sophia University.

Although a Japanese translation of the diary was published in Collected Historical Materials on Sophia University, Vol. 1, the whereabouts of the original manuscripts had long remained unknown. Both diaries were identified among archival materials that had been transferred from the SJ House Archives to Sophia Archives.

Fr. Yuichi Tsunoda, S.J., Director of Sophia Archives and Associate Professor in the Faculty of Theology, commented on the discovery:

The discovery of the diaries of Fr. Henri Boucher, S.J., one of the three Jesuit priests who came to Japan in 1908 to prepare for the establishment of Sophia University, is of tremendous significance not only for the history of our university but also for the study of higher education and Catholic Church history in modern Japan.

These documents provide a detailed firsthand account, written in both French and Latin, of the process from the return of the Jesuits to Japan through the University’s formative years, making them exceptionally valuable historical sources.

Due to the condition of the materials and preservation considerations, they are not open to the public at this time.

Related Links

• Jochi Daigaku-shi Shiryoshu (Collected Historical Materials on Sophia University) is available online through the Sophia University Repository
• Sophia Archives official website