Osaka University of Foreign Studies
Encyclopedia
, abbreviated to OUFS or , , or is a public
coeducational research university
in Minoh
, Osaka
, Japan
. It is dedicated to area studies and the study of foreign languages and their related cultures.
The history of OUFS dates back to 1921. The foundation of the university was supported financially by Choko Hayashi (1873-1945) an Osaka businesswoman, who made a private donation of ¥1,000,000. Based on this donation the Japanese government established the "School of Foreign Affairs (SFS)" in 8-chome, Uehonmachi, Tennoji-ku, Osaka City with the aim of nurturing internationally-minded personnel in Japan.
However its characteristics of the education, specialized in the language and culture of certain society, was commonly understood as a training center of espionage during WWII, the School was obliged to be renamed "Osaka College of Foreign Affairs" in April 1944. It moved to Takatsuki, Osaka for a few years after the war, and went back to its original place in Osaka city.
In 1949, when the Law on the Establishment of National Schools came into effect "Osaka University of Foreign Studies (OUFS)" was established, based on the existing "Osaka College of Foreign Affairs".
Under law of public university, it was reformed and offered 12 modern languages as majors.
In 1979 OUFS moved its campus to its present location in Minoo City, which is located in the Northern suburb in Osaka prefecture, for more extensive academic activities. It offered 25 modern languages as majors and 16 ancient and modern languages as minors.
In October 2007, OUFS was consolidated with Osaka University, becoming the "School of Foreign Studies (SFS)" of Osaka University. Offering 25 languages as majors, including Japanese, SFS is the only one school of foreign studies among all comprehensive national universities in Japan.
The merger took several years to be realized because of the conflicts of interest among the academic staff of OUFS, Osaka University and a Japanese government agency, which was aiming public sector reform. Because all academic staff were public employees, some of them had a fear of having decreased amount of remuneration at their retirement, whereas some had a possibiligy of losing their job especially in the Department of Foreign Studies, since Osaka University had similar/same departments and subjects. As a result of harsh negotiation among the three parties, most of the senior academic staff of OUFS obtained their academic positions at Osaka University, whereas young professionals at both universities ended up leaving the universities, regardless of academic performance.
A merger with Osaka University
happened on October 1, 2007, upon which Osaka University of Foreign Studies became the foreign language department of Osaka University. Students applying for entry to OUFS for the 2008 academic year will do so through Osaka University.
History of School of Foreign Studies, Osaka University
1922 School opening ceremony held.
1937 Hanazono Sports Ground newly established.
1944 Renamed Osaka College of Foreign Affairs
1945 Many of the College’s buildings, excluding the library, burned down during the war
1946 Moved to the site of the former headquarters of Engineering Regiment No. 4 in Takatsuki City, Osaka Prefecture to conduct classes.
Administration office moved to 8-chome, Uehonmachi, Tennoji, Osaka.
1949
Osaka University of Foreign Studies established.
1951
Osaka College of Foreign Affairs abolished.
1959
Junior College (evening course) of Osaka University of Foreign Studies established.
1965
Stopped enrollment of students for Junior College (evening course)
The University’s Night School established.
1969
Graduate School (master’s course) for Foreign Studies opened.
1972
Commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the University.
1979
Moved to 2734, Oaza Aomatani, Minoo City.
Classes started at Aomatani Campus.
1981
Completion of the University’s new buildings celebrated.
1993
Day School and Night School closed and Department of International Studies (Day and Evening Courses) and Department of Area Studies (Day and Evening Courses) opened.
2004
Osaka University of Foreign Studies, Inc. inaugurated.
2006
Ceremony held to sign the agreement for promoting integration between Osaka University and Osaka University of Foreign Studies
2007
Consolidated with Osaka University (October 1)
School of Foreign Studies, Osaka University, inaugurated.
2008
Commenced enrollment for the School of Foreign Studies, Osaka University
Enrollment ceremony for the first students held (April 1)
The time taken between Osaka University of Foreign Studies and Rail Terminals is around an hour, depending on the mode of transport used.
The bus leaves from the Hankyuu shopping center towards Osaka-Gaidai mae, which stops right in front of the university. Other buses bound for Madani Jutaku 4 are also available which stop in the nearest residential area.
Access between OUFS and Osaka University has improved due to the extension of the Osaka Monorail.
Owing to the recent extension of the Osaka Monorail to Saito-Nishi it takes 15 minutes by walk from the Osaka University of the Foreign Studies campus.
Public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individuals, and the public is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the Öffentlichkeit or public sphere. The concept of a public has also been defined in political science,...
coeducational research university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
in Minoh
Minoh, Osaka
, formerly Minoo, is a city in Osaka Prefecture, Japan, about 15 km north of the centre of the city of Osaka. It is accessed by the Hankyu Railway about 30 minutes from Umeda Station...
, Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It is dedicated to area studies and the study of foreign languages and their related cultures.
History
Osaka University of Foreign Studies (OUFS) was one of Japan’s only two national universities specialized in foreign studies. Initially OUFS offered foreign language education in 9 world languages. The number eventually increased to 25, in accordance with OUFS’s development as Japan’s major center for foreign language education and research.The history of OUFS dates back to 1921. The foundation of the university was supported financially by Choko Hayashi (1873-1945) an Osaka businesswoman, who made a private donation of ¥1,000,000. Based on this donation the Japanese government established the "School of Foreign Affairs (SFS)" in 8-chome, Uehonmachi, Tennoji-ku, Osaka City with the aim of nurturing internationally-minded personnel in Japan.
However its characteristics of the education, specialized in the language and culture of certain society, was commonly understood as a training center of espionage during WWII, the School was obliged to be renamed "Osaka College of Foreign Affairs" in April 1944. It moved to Takatsuki, Osaka for a few years after the war, and went back to its original place in Osaka city.
In 1949, when the Law on the Establishment of National Schools came into effect "Osaka University of Foreign Studies (OUFS)" was established, based on the existing "Osaka College of Foreign Affairs".
Under law of public university, it was reformed and offered 12 modern languages as majors.
In 1979 OUFS moved its campus to its present location in Minoo City, which is located in the Northern suburb in Osaka prefecture, for more extensive academic activities. It offered 25 modern languages as majors and 16 ancient and modern languages as minors.
In October 2007, OUFS was consolidated with Osaka University, becoming the "School of Foreign Studies (SFS)" of Osaka University. Offering 25 languages as majors, including Japanese, SFS is the only one school of foreign studies among all comprehensive national universities in Japan.
The merger took several years to be realized because of the conflicts of interest among the academic staff of OUFS, Osaka University and a Japanese government agency, which was aiming public sector reform. Because all academic staff were public employees, some of them had a fear of having decreased amount of remuneration at their retirement, whereas some had a possibiligy of losing their job especially in the Department of Foreign Studies, since Osaka University had similar/same departments and subjects. As a result of harsh negotiation among the three parties, most of the senior academic staff of OUFS obtained their academic positions at Osaka University, whereas young professionals at both universities ended up leaving the universities, regardless of academic performance.
A merger with Osaka University
Osaka University
, or , is a major national university located in Osaka, Japan. It is the sixth oldest university in Japan as the Osaka Prefectural Medical College, and formerly one of the Imperial Universities of Japan...
happened on October 1, 2007, upon which Osaka University of Foreign Studies became the foreign language department of Osaka University. Students applying for entry to OUFS for the 2008 academic year will do so through Osaka University.
History of School of Foreign Studies, Osaka University
| 1921 | Osaka School of Foreign Languages founded. |
1922 School opening ceremony held.
1937 Hanazono Sports Ground newly established.
1944 Renamed Osaka College of Foreign Affairs
1945 Many of the College’s buildings, excluding the library, burned down during the war
1946 Moved to the site of the former headquarters of Engineering Regiment No. 4 in Takatsuki City, Osaka Prefecture to conduct classes.
Administration office moved to 8-chome, Uehonmachi, Tennoji, Osaka.
1949
Osaka University of Foreign Studies established.
1951
Osaka College of Foreign Affairs abolished.
1959
Junior College (evening course) of Osaka University of Foreign Studies established.
1965
Stopped enrollment of students for Junior College (evening course)
The University’s Night School established.
1969
Graduate School (master’s course) for Foreign Studies opened.
1972
Commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the University.
1979
Moved to 2734, Oaza Aomatani, Minoo City.
Classes started at Aomatani Campus.
1981
Completion of the University’s new buildings celebrated.
1993
Day School and Night School closed and Department of International Studies (Day and Evening Courses) and Department of Area Studies (Day and Evening Courses) opened.
2004
Osaka University of Foreign Studies, Inc. inaugurated.
2006
Ceremony held to sign the agreement for promoting integration between Osaka University and Osaka University of Foreign Studies
2007
Consolidated with Osaka University (October 1)
School of Foreign Studies, Osaka University, inaugurated.
2008
Commenced enrollment for the School of Foreign Studies, Osaka University
Enrollment ceremony for the first students held (April 1)
Student life
OUFS held 2 multicultural festivals every year, which were renowned for ethnic food stalls selling various sorts of international cuisine. Each society at the university held performances or exhibitions. The summer festival's highlight was the Bon Odori, and the November festival consisted of many plays in foreign languages.Transportation
The OUFS campus is located in the northern suburb in Osaka prefecture.The time taken between Osaka University of Foreign Studies and Rail Terminals is around an hour, depending on the mode of transport used.
The bus leaves from the Hankyuu shopping center towards Osaka-Gaidai mae, which stops right in front of the university. Other buses bound for Madani Jutaku 4 are also available which stop in the nearest residential area.
Access between OUFS and Osaka University has improved due to the extension of the Osaka Monorail.
Owing to the recent extension of the Osaka Monorail to Saito-Nishi it takes 15 minutes by walk from the Osaka University of the Foreign Studies campus.
List of alumni
- authorAuthorAn author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
Ryotaro ShibaRyotaro Shiba, born in Osaka, Japan, was a Japanese author best known for his novels about historical events in Japan and on the Northeast Asian sub-continent, as well as his historical and cultural essays pertaining to Japan and its relationship to the rest of the world....
(alumni of Osaka School of Foreign Languages) - authorAuthorAn author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
Chin ShunshinChin Shunshinis a Taiwanese-Japanese novelist, translator and cultural critic. He is best known for his historical fictions and mystery novels, including First Opium War, Chinese History, Ryukyu Wind.-Major works:*Roots of Dried Grass...
(Chen Shunchen)(alumni of Osaka School of Foreign Affairs) - authorAuthorAn author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
Seizo Okada - Mayor of Minoh City, Osaka - Junichi Fujisawa
- General Surgeon,Endoscopy, Jorge Arturo Vazquez Reta, Mexican, alumni of Osaka School of Foreign Languages