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
ICU Farm Project
The ICU farm project was launched in the spring of 2024 as a collaboration between JICUF and ICU. The project seeks to revive the campus farm established when ICU was founded. It aims to utilize ICU’s rich natural environment as a learning space centered on food and agriculture, and also fits well into ICU’s mid-term plan (2021-2025), which emphasizes the “social implementation of the liberal arts.” The idea for the farm project first emerged in 2018, before the COVID-19 pandemic. JICUF President Paul Hastings and Vice President Aki Takada led a meeting at ICU to explore the concept. ICU professors, representatives from Mitaka City Hall, dedicated students, alumni involved in […]
Jannelly Guardado, the first recipient of the Nelson Ranch Scholarship
Janelly Guardado, the first recipient of the Nelson Ranch Scholarship enrolled at ICU this September. We interviewed Janelly about her new life at the ICU. Photo: Naoki Beppu JICUF: When and what made you interested in Japan? Jannelly: I became interested in Japan because Japanese was the only Asian language taught at my high school. At the time, I was really into Asian culture, and I thought it would be interesting to take Japanese as a foreign language. Once I began to study the language, I became intrigued by all the things my high school Japanese teacher would tell our class about Japan. JICUF: What were you most worried about […]
JICUF Co-Hosts a Workshop on Skills-Based Pathways for Refugees at the Embassy of Canada to Japan
On November 20 and 21, JICUF co-hosted a workshop titled “Skills-Based Pathways for Refugees: Challenges and Solutions for Long-Term Integration” at the Embassy of Canada to Japan. Approximately 70 participants gathered from around the world to discuss how to admit more refugees through educational and professional opportunities.
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