November 17, 2022
On November 5, Keio University entered into a comprehensive partnership agreement with the Kitasato Institute.
The signing ceremony took place on Keio University's Mita Campus on November 10. President Kohei Itoh and Vice-President Yuko Kitagawa represented Keio University for the ceremony while Chairperson Hirosuke Kobayashi, Kitasato University President Kyoko Shimabukuro, and Special Assistant to the Chair Satoshi Kawase attended on behalf of the Kitasato Institute.
The founders for both organizations, Yukichi Fukuzawa and Shibasaburo Kitasato, worked together in order to build the foundation for medical development throughout Japan. The friendship and trust between Fukuzawa and Kitasato runs deep throughout the organizations' histories. When Keio University (then Keio Gijuku) reached its 60th year anniversary, Kitasato was appointed dean of the newly established Department of Medicine (later, Dean of the School of Medicine). He also broke new ground in Keio's medical sciences as its inaugural hospital director general.
This newly signed agreement is built on this foundation. In addition to solidifying the existing cooperative relationship between the organizations, it also promotes comprehensive and sustained collaboration with regard to their unique resources, allowing both Keio and Kitasato to further pursue the "spirit ofjitsugaku," and work together to contribute to the future progress of education, research, and medicine for society.
Photo: Aki Takematsu