New Year Greetings from the Chief Executive Director, Chair of the Board

Happy New Year!

I would like to start by talking about Ekiden. The Hakone Ekiden in 2025, Chuo University achieved a strong second-place finish in the outward bound; however, the team struggled on the return trip, ultimately finishing fifth place overall. In response to this result, the Chuo Ekiden team devoted itself to intensive long-distance training over the summer. Although the team had a hard time to demonstrate the outcomes of this effort at the Izumo Ekiden held in October 2025, finishing in tenth place. However, the team proved its ability as one of the pre-race favorites of the championship at the Zennihon Daigaku Ekiden (Iseji) held in November 2025, where it maintained a leading position throughout the race. Finally, the team achieved an excellent result by winning second place, its second time and the best achievement in 20 years. We are looking forward to seeing their performance in the Hakone Ekiden 2026.

As many are aware, the world today faces uncertainties across various aspects of international relationships. We are concerned about the growing reliance on military force, which leads to the escalation of conflicts. In East Asia, tensions between Japan and China have intensified, partly triggered by the change within the Japanese Cabinet. Amid such global circumstances, we, as university people, consider that it is crucial to strengthen ties between people at the civilian level across borders and to continue conveying the importance of peace. In March 2025, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of Chuo University’s Thai Office, which I was involved in the establishment of the office, at Chuo-Thammasat Collaboration Center. Approximately ten participants from Chuo University engaged in active and meaningful international exchanges with the related parties from Thammasat University. Looking beyond Thailand, I believe it is more important than ever for us to deepen our international connections with countries around the world.

The University’s mid-to long-term project plan, Chuo Vision 2025, launched in 2016 is about to conclude within three months. Over the past decade, we have achieved significant milestones, including the establishment of the Faculty of Global Management and the Faculty of Global Informatics, which both have contributed to the expansion of our educational frameworks. We have also facilitated the maintenance plan of the Tama Campus and urban campuses. Chuo Vision 2025 is now approaching its conclusion. However, Chuo University will not stop developing itself. The forthcoming mid-to long-term project plan, Chuo Vision 2035 must include initiatives that further enhance Chuo's appeal, and we must commit to their implementation as we progress toward the final year of Chuo Vision 2035, the year marking Chuo University’s 150^th anniversary. We have a number of challenges to work on, including establishing new faculties in light of developing ourselves as a comprehensive university, consolidating our dispersed urban campuses, solving problems faced by our affiliated schools, and exploring new approaches to athletic development.

I envision Chuo University becoming a “university with a global presence” by excelling in cutting-edge education and research, fulfilling its role in industry-academia-government collaboration, and making significant social contributions – all made possible by the unwavering dedication of our faculty members and staff. This would enable our students to engage in advanced and practical learning experiences.

We, the Executive Directors, will do our utmost to promote these efforts and greatly appreciate the continued support of our faculty, staff, and alumni.

In closing, I wish you all a prosperous and successful New Year ahead.

January 1st, 2026
Masahiko Omura
Chief Executive Director, Chair of the Board, Chuo University