Sophia University, Yotsuya Campus

The origin of Sophia University can be traced back to more than 450 years ago when the Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier came to Japan in 1549 to spread Christianity in Japan. The actual foundation of the university began In 1908, when three Jesuit priests arrived in Japan in response to a request from the Roman Pontiff at that time, Pope Pius X. Five years later, in 1913, they opened the first Catholic university in Japan on this Kioi site where Sophia still stands.

Although with a certain level of chaos the force of globalization is bringing about a new era to the world community. At the same time, as social reforms are progressing, unfamiliar corporate structures or new working styles have been introduced. To lead your very own lives in such a social condition.

Different as they may seem, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, the paleontologist who found and researched Peking Man, and Georges Lemaitre, the physicist who proposed the Big Bang theory, have something in common: both were Catholic priests. Many think that the rationality and intelligence of science do not mix with faith, but at Catholic universities such as Sophia, we have always sought for harmony between the humanities and the social and natural sciences.

The order known as the Society of Jesus, to which Father Teilhard belonged, has been involved in higher education and research since its foundation in the 16th century. For example, the Basque Saint Francis Xavier, well-known in Japan, received his Master’s degree from the University of Paris, after which he continued his philosophical research, helping found the Society of Jesus.

The Great Age of Exploration that began in the 15th century differed in speed and scale from today’s globalization, although in a certain sense, it was a time of clashes as well as encounters among different parts of the world, even more than today. Saint Xavier was not the only one to travel to unknown corners of the globe. Many Jesuits used the intelligence that they honed in academia to study foreign cultures, religions, and languages, all without the aid of dictionaries, sometimes creating their own. They conversed with locals and left records of these conversations. They were firm in their conviction that they could find some form of harmony among the disparate peoples of the world.

At Sophia University, with the educational spirit of “ for others, with others” we are aiming to promote students with flexible mind who can correspond to social reforms with complexities due to globalization and digitalization. All of our departments are concentrated in one campus with diverse student and faculty body not only contributing to a multinational, multicultural and multi religious environment but interdisciplinary academic discussions. Created an environment of not only cultural, linguistic, and religious diversity but also an environment for debate with scientific diversity. Also, using the university’s global student network, we provide opportunities to participate in a diverse global society depending on the preferences of the individual. Sophia University has a unique and fascinating learning environment in which you will be placed in an environment that is out of the ordinary, an environment that will enable you to find yourself by exchanging opinions with others, where you can take on different ways of thinking, furnishing you with new viewpoints and concepts.

While being based on specialist education in each department and subject, or education in the liberal arts, a wealth of programs have been developed for each field and level that promotes various challenges with a focus on the real world and the ability to flexibly adapt to social reforms. Furthermore, one of the unique challenges that Sophia University has taken on is the creation of an environment that enables students to refine their ethics, values, and beliefs, above all, in the next-generation society. What we expect from every student is a strong desire that is backed up by strong convictions.