Sophia University
| 上智大学 | |
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Latin: Universitas Sedis Sapientiae (University of the Seat of Wisdom) |
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| Motto | Lux Veritatis |
|---|---|
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Motto in English
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Light of Truth |
| Type |
Catholic Private Research University |
| Established | 1913 |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic (Jesuit) |
| Chancellor | Rev. Fr. Toshiaki Koso, SJ |
| President | Prof. Takashi Hayashita |
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Academic staff
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1271 * 522 (Full-time) * 749 (Part-time) |
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Administrative staff
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293 |
| Students | 11,986 |
| Undergraduates | 10,528 |
| Postgraduates | 1,208 |
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Other students
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250 (Law) |
| Location |
Chiyoda, Tokyo,  Japan
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| Campus |
Urban: -Yotsuya main campus -Mejiro campus -Ichigaya campus -Shakujii campus |
| Alma Mater song | Sophia |
| Colors | Dark Red |
| Sports | 8 varsity teams |
| Mascot | Eagle named Sophia-Kun |
| Affiliations | IAU, IFCU |
| Website | www.sophia.ac.jp |
Sophia University (上智大学 Jōchi Daigaku?) is a private Jesuit research university in Japan, with its main campus located near Yotsuya station, in an area of Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward. It is ranked as one of the top private universities in Japan. It takes its name from the Greek Sophia meaning "wisdom". The Japanese name, Jōchi Daigaku, literally means "University of Higher Wisdom".
It has an exchange program with many universities throughout the world, including Yale University, Sogang University and the University of Hong Kong. The university was a men’s university in the past, but at present admits women; the proportion of men to women is now more or less equal. Sophia’s alumni are referred to as "Sophians"; they include the 79th Japanese Prime Minister of Japan, Morihiro Hosokawa, a number of politicians represented in the National Diet of Japan, and professors at various institutions.
Sophia University was founded by Jesuits in 1913. It opened with departments of German Literature, Philosophy and Commerce, headed by its founder Hermann Hoffmann (1864–1937) as its first official president.
In 1932, a small group of Sophia students refused to salute the war dead at Yasukuni Shrine in the presence of a Japanese military attache, saying it violated their religious beliefs. The military attache was withdrawn from Sophia as a result of this incident, damaging the university's reputation. The Archbishop of Tokyo intervened in the standoff by permitting Catholic students to salute the war dead, after which many Sophia students, as well as Hermann Hoffmann himself, participated in rites at Yasukuni. The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples later issued the Pluries Instanterque in 1936, which encouraged Catholics to attend Shinto shrines as a patriotic gesture; the Vatican re-issued this document after the war in 1951.
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