On May 23 (Monday), Ms. Emiko Matsumiya (senior, Faculty of Letters) and Ms. Nobuyo Suzuki (senior, Faculty of Letters), studying as exchange students at Moscow State University in Russia, visited the Gorbachev Foundation and met with the former first president of the Soviet Union, Mikhail S. Gorbachev.

Mr. Gorbachev, who is also a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, has visited Soka University three times, also delivering a lecture for students there. When he visited the university in April 1993, cherry trees for Mr. and Mrs. Gorbachev were planted on campus. Ever since then, the students of the Russian Research Club have continued to deepen exchange with Mr. Gorbachev by creating an album for him with pictures of cherry trees in full bloom. The meeting this time took place when Soka University students currently studying at Moscow State University visited the Gorbachev Foundation to deliver this year’s album.

Ms. Matsumiya and Ms. Suzuki commented as follows:
“Mr. Gorbachev warmly welcomed us and said with a big voice that resounded throughout the room, ‘Now, let’s talk!’ ‘Welcome!’ Looking at the album of Mr. and Mrs. Gorbachev’s cherry trees created by the Russian Research Club, he said, чуда! (wonderful!) and joyfully shared his memories of when the trees were planted. He also said to us, ‘Please study hard. Please give my best regards to all the students. Thank you very much. Please convey my heartfelt sentiments to everyone. Let’s meet again.’ Using this precious experience, we will study hard in our remaining days here to increase our capabilities so that we can serve as a bridge for the friendship between Japan and Russia.”