Ochanomizu University joins Union of three universities in Tokyo: Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Institute of Science Tokyo, and Hitotsubashi University

Union of three universities in Tokyo - comprising Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (President: Nobuo Haruna), Institute of Science Tokyo (President and Chief Executive Officer: Naoto Ohtake), and Hitotsubashi University (President: Satoshi Nakano) - which was originally established in 2001 as the Union of Four-Universities in Tokyo (and later reorganized into the Union of Three-Universities in Tokyo following the merger of Tokyo Medical and Dental University and Tokyo Institute of Technology to form the Institute of Science Tokyo), has welcomed Ochanomizu University (President: Yasuko Sasaki) as a new member. The four universities formed a new union, Future Leading Innovation Partnership (FLIP), and signed a new charter on July 1, 2025.

With the addition of the new partner, FLIP aims to further enhance its role as a center of knowledge gathered in Tokyo, one of the world’s leading academic cities. By becoming a core hub of co-creation that connects knowledge from Tokyo to the world, FLIP will drive innovation in education to foster individuals with both deep expertise and broad perspectives. It will also promote and deepen research activities with the integration of knowledge across disciplines, thereby contributing to the sustainable development of human society.

Ochanomizu University’s mission is to nurture global female leaders who can collaborate with people around the world to create a peaceful society. The first new faculty in 74 years, the Faculty of Transdisciplinary Engineering, was established in 2024. Building on the academic traditions of its current three foundational faculties—the Faculty of Letters and Education, the Faculty of Science, and the Faculty of Human Life and Environmental Science —the new faculty is dedicated to developing female leaders in engineering who will help shape the future of our environment, society, and culture.

Ochanomizu University will help FLIP accelerate the advancement of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) and further strengthen the Union’s efforts to promote interdisciplinary integration.

FLIP aims to establish a new “Joint Educational Program for Addressing Social Issues” that leverages the unique strengths of each university. In addition to the existing undergraduate-level collaboration, we will promote expanded cooperation at the graduate level.

In the area of research, we will explore the creation of an interdisciplinary research promotion system that fosters shared inquiry and collaborative investigation, as well as community-based co-creation research that integrates research collaboration with regional engagement.

FLIP will examine ways to reinforce the collaborative system for the future. Specifically, we will consider building more effective and sustainable partnerships, including the potential establishment of a Corporation for the Promotion of University Collaboration*.

• A Corporation for the Promotion of University Collaboration is a system under which the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology certifies a general incorporated association to coordinate inter-university collaboration and implement joint initiatives. This framework supports functions such as credit transfer among participating universities and enables the delivery of higher-quality education through shared resources and governance.

• Future Leading Innovation Partnership Charter (PDF)
• Future Leading Innovation Partnership - FLIP (Japanese)
• Ochanomizu University
• Tokyo University Of Foreign Studies
• Hitotsubashi University