I would like to express my heartfelt New Year's greetings.
We would like to thank you for your continued support for the development of Soka University and Soka Women's College. 

On January 2nd and 3rd, the Soka University Track and Field team participated in the 98th Tokyo-Hakone Round-Trip College Ekiden Race (Hakone Ekiden), one of the biggest intercollegiate relay marathon races. This marked the team’s eligibility to participate for three consecutive years and for the fifth time overall. Ten student-athletes ran 217.1 kilometers as a team and finished seventh overall. The team made history by earning the seed right for the third consecutive year. I would like to express my deepest appreciation to the athletes and support staff, and to all the people who cheered for Soka’s Ekiden team from in front of their TVs. The athletes are making the most of this experience and have begun working toward their next goal. We greatly appreciate your continued support of the team. Thank you very much.

Last April, Soka University celebrated its 50th anniversary. Based on the founding principles established by the Founder Daisaku Ikeda and upholding the student-first spirit, Soka University has been taking initiatives designed to foster “creative global citizens.” Since its establishment, the university has expanded from three faculties at the time of its opening to eight faculties, five graduate schools, two professional graduate schools, and four correspondence courses. Also, the number of alumni has reached about 100,000 graduates from the university (including correspondence courses) and Soka Women’s College. 
As part of the 50th Anniversary Commemorative Project and one of its pillars, the Soka Education Research Institute was renamed to Ikeda Research Institute for Soka Education (IRISE) for its further development. The renamed IRISE has started its initiatives to build a hub for global citizenship education by developing a network of researchers and publicizing research achievements. In addition, events such as the publication of "50 Years of Soka University", the opening of the 50th-anniversary exhibition "History of Soka University", and the holding of “The 11th Daisaku Ikeda International Philosophy Academic Symposium” were held to take steps toward opening the next 50 years. The commemorative project was made possible thanks to the generous support of the Soyu-kai, the Soka Women's College Hakucho-kai, other alumni associations, for the support of the "Soka University 50th Anniversary and Soka Women's Junior College 35th Anniversary Donation Project" (until the end of August 2022). Once again, thank you very much. All donors have a ‘Digital Nameplate’ created in their honor and displayed on the “Soka University’s Sponsor Recognition Digital Nameplates."

In providing student support during the Covid-19 pandemic, we provided scholarships as economic support for students whose families financial situation had suddenly changed and provided food and daily necessities as support for about 1,000 students living alone, who were economically affected and could not work their part-time jobs. We would like to express our deepest gratitude for your support. This year, Soka University will continue to strive for an ideal campus under the banner of "Soka University Grand Design 2021-2030" and Soka Women's College "Mid-term Plan 2021-2025". Lastly, I offer my best wishes for your health and success in the new year. 

Yasunori Tashiro
Chairperson of the Board of Trustees
Soka University Educational Corporation
January 2022