Our Story
In the aftermath of WWII, visionaries in Japan and the United States came together to build a university in Japan that would educate global citizens who serve God and humanity. The Japan ICU Foundation was incorporated in New York in 1949 to support this endeavor, and International Christian University (ICU) was founded the same year. ICU has since grown into a leading university that remains a symbol of peace and reconciliation.
Today, the world is more interconnected than ever and we face daunting challenges from climate change to the refugee crisis. With our eyes on the future, JICUF’s mission is to work with ICU to nurture global citizens who contribute to the well-being of humanity. We fulfill this mission by focusing on three themes: Sustainability, DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion), and Peacebuilding. The Foundation considers these themes core responsibilities of global citizens and key to the common good. The Foundation envisions a community of global citizens who actively contribute to a peaceful and sustainable future for humanity. Our efforts are dedicated to making this vision a reality.
Most Recent Articles
Introducing the 2024-25 JICUF Student Ambassadors
We are very excited to introduce our first JICUF Student Ambassadors! The three Ambassadors will be working closely with our Japan Office to disseminate opportunities offered by JICUF to students and faculty, to implement JICUF events and programs, and to report on JICUF-funded activities. They will also be asked to come up with unique ideas to strengthen the ICU community, with the aim of creating an even more welcoming environment for students of all backgrounds.
JICUF Japan Office Will Hold Opening Events in May
To celebrate the historic opening of JICUF’s Japan office, JICUF President & CEO Paul Hastings will visit the campus in May to host a series of special events with Hideko Matsuyama, Program Manager based in the Japan Office, and NY staff Sachiko Tokai. All are invited to come to our open house.
JICUF Launches Refugee Education Japan
This spring, JICUF decided to compile our work on refugee higher education under an initiative titled “Refugee Education Japan (REJ),” and launched a new website.
Since JICUF launched the Syrian Scholars Initiative in 2017 to welcome Syrian students with refugee backgrounds to ICU, we have gradually expanded our support for displaced students, and now are part of global and domestic networks to promote education pathways for refugees.
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