Ochanomizu University 150th Anniversary International Symposium, Institute for Global Leadership (28 Nov. 2025)

2025年11月21日更新

Ochanomizu University 150th Anniversary International Symposium

“Message to Young Talents:
Academic Exchange with the University of Strasbourg, an Intellectual Hub of Europe”
(28 November 2025 Fri.)

Since signing an agreement in July 2002, Ochanomizu University and the University of Strasbourg in France have maintained academic exchanges for over 20 years through researcher mobility and student exchange programs. This symposium, commemorating Ochanomizu University's 150th anniversary, invites President Frédéric Berrod from the University of Strasbourg and focuses on international academic exchange based on inter-university collaboration.

In the 21st century, it has become increasingly common for university researchers to engage in global research and educational activities. On the one hand, such activities often depend on individual researchers' networks within their specific academic fields and pose challenges in terms of continuity. On the other hand, exchanges supported by institutional partnerships enable organizations to sustain frameworks for international research and education. Furthermore, Ochanomizu University in Japan, an island nation in East Asia, and the University of Strasbourg, located in a city bordering France and Germany at the heart of the EU, possess distinct social and cultural characteristics. The exchange between these two universities provides researchers and students with unique opportunities for experiencing different cultures and academic environments.

This symposium will discuss the significance and prospects of university-level international exchange, reflecting on Ochanomizu University's history and its track record of exchange with the University of Strasbourg. We expect these discussions will be an inspiring message to young talents aspiring to global success.

**Detail of International Symposium**
Date and Time	28 November 2025 Fri. 15:00–17:00 (Japan Standard Time)
Venue	2F, Hisao & Hiroko TAKI PLAZA, Ochanomizu University　※Venue has been changed.
Target Audience	Open to the public (primary targets are Ochanomizu students, faculty, staff, and alumni)
Registration	Free admission, pre-registration required. Registration Form
Language	English (with simultaneous interpretation into Japanese)
Organizer	Ochanomizu University 150th Anniversary International Communication Committee
Co-organizers	Institute for Global Leadership, Institute for Gendered Innovations
Administrator	Message to Young Talents Symposium Committee
Contact	The Institute for Global Leadership IGL-seminar@cc.ocha.ac.jp

Program

15:00	Opening Remarks Masako Ishii-Kuntz (Trustee and Vice-President, Ochanomizu University)
15:15	Keynote Address Frédérique Berrod (President, University of Strasbourg)
15:45	Presentations by academic exchange participants
	Rumi Kondo (Associate Professor, Ochanomizu University) (2022 participant)
	Mika Omori (Professor, Ochanomizu University) (2023 participant)
	Rikako Iida (Exchange student 2018)
	Rin Obata (Exchange student 2018)
16:45	Commentary on presentations by President Berrod
16:55	Closing Remarks Aya Tanatani (Professor, Director of the Institute for Global Leadership, Ochanomizu University)

Biographies of speakers

■Frédérique Berrod

Frédérique Berrod is Professor of European Union Law at Sciences Po Strasbourg since September 2008. She is President of the University of Strasbourg since March 2025.
She is specialized in teaching European Union law (EU institutional law, internal market law, competition law, border law, energy law, health law, digital internal market law, and data law in Europe). Her researches focus on the European Energy Area, the European health products market, the digital internal market and borders in Europe. She has held a Jean Monnet Chair in "European Narratives of the Border" (NEFLAW) between 2021 and 2024.
Recently published: Chronique de droit du marché intérieur, Revue Trimestrielle de droit européen 2024.

■Rumi Kondo
Rumi Kondo is an Associate Professor of Faculty at Core Research Natural Sciences Division and an Assistant to the President at Ochanomizu University. She received her Ph.D. in Genetics from the Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI). Her field of expertise is evolutionary genetics. After postdoctoral research at the National Institute of Genetics and at Thomas Jefferson University in the USA, she teaches in the Department of Biology, the Life Sciences Course, and the Genetic Counseling Course at Ochanomizu University. She is also engaged in outreach activities at the Institute for Women’s Education in STEAM, supporting junior and senior high school students in choosing science-related career paths.

■Mika Omori
Mika Omori is a Professor at Faculty of Core Research Human Sciences Division at Ochanomizu University and Director of the Institute for Human Development and Education. She also serves as a Cross-Appointed Professor at Tohoku University. She holds a Ph.D. from Indiana University and was affiliated with the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Strasbourg. Her research focuses on health psychology, including eating behavior, body image, and health behavior promotion. Her publications include Mindful Eating (translation supervisor, Nippon Hyoron sya, 2020). She is a 2002 Abe Fellow and a 2016–2017 Fulbright Visiting Scholar.

■Rikako Iida
Rikako Iida graduated from the course of French Language and Culture, the department of Languages and Culture, Faculty of Letters and Education, Ochanomizu University. During her studies, she pursued French literature and languages and cultures of French-speaking regions. From 2018 to 2019, she was an exchange student at the Faculty of Arts at the University of Strasbourg, where she deepened her understanding of modern French literature. After graduation, she joined Japan Airlines as a flight attendant, serving on both domestic and international flights.

■Rin Obata
Rin Obata graduated from the course of French Language and Culture, the department of Languages and Culture, Faculty of Letters and Education, Ochanomizu University. She was enrolled in the Faculty of Educational Sciences at the University of Strasbourg from 2018 as an exchange student. Her primary area of interest and study is sociolinguistics. Currently, she works as a product manager at amptalk, the company developing a business meeting analysis service for sales teams.

Ochanomizu University 150th Anniversary International Symposium, Institute for Global Leadership (28 Nov. 2025)