Gunma Prefectural Women's University is one of only four public women's universities in Japan and is the only one located in eastern Japan. Since its foundation its mission has been to make full use of its special status as a women's university to develop women who can be leaders not only in their own communities but also internationally in a new era of internationalization.
At its foundation in 1980, the university consisted of one faculty with three departments: Japanese literature, English literature (now English language, British and American Cultures) and Aesthetics and Art History. In 2005 the faculty of International Communication was created to develop women who would be able to flourish in the international world. In 2009 the department of Liberal Arts was established to produce women with a broad vision and culture. The university now has two faculties, four departments and two courses. In 1994 a graduate course in the Humanities was added, followed in 2009 by a graduate course in the faculty of International Communication. These graduate courses show our university's strong commitment to develop students who possess high research skills and specialist knowledge.
As part of its remit to make a strong contribution to the whole of society, the Foreign Language Research Institute was created in 2001 to act as a catalyst to improve English education in Gunma prefecture. In 2004 a series of symposia under the title of 'Gunma Studies' was created to help foster a more comprehensive and diverse understanding of Gunma. In April 2009 the Center for Gunma Studies was set up. In 2012 the Center for Japanese Language Education was created to help foreign residents gain the Japanese skills to enable them to play a full role in the community.
Our university has shown itself firmly committed to meeting the challenges presented by our changing society and has continued to make an important contribution to society both in the fields of the humanities and social studies. Beginning in April 2018 the university will become a public corporation. It will continue to raise the next generation of female leaders and to be a resource to help Gunma develop and cope with the rapidly changing world. We will strive to ensure that the knowledge and experiences which students gain here will not only help them make a smooth transition into society but will also constitute a rich resource for their whole lives.
Hiroki Shiozawa
