On March 11, 2011, Japan experienced an earthquake and a tsunami of unprecedented proportions. The tragedy has brought the victims deep fear and sorrow; however, Japan is firmly moving forward to advance its reconstruction in the hope of a brighter future. People in Japan have been given tremendous encouragement and warm support and messages from countries throughout the world. I truly feel a profound sense of gratitude. The disaster has given us an opportunity to seriously consider how the fields of art and design can function in this difficult time. In the midst of the reconstruction, we need to carefully examine the past and the process that connects it to the present in order to realize our new direction toward the future. I believe that the fields of art and design are now called upon to contribute actively to the global community across borders.

Musashino Art University (MAU) was established in 1929 and has consistently developed its international exchanges. MAU consists of undergraduate and graduate programs, including Master’s and Doctoral courses, and currently has over 4,500 students, making us a historic art university of the largest scale in Japan. Many of our graduates are forging outstanding careers in the fields of art and design around the world and have had significant influence on society. Currently, MAU accepts almost 190 bright international students representing countries from around the world centered in Asia. The Center for International Relations provides international students with a variety of support including promoting extensive systems for welcoming students and international exchange activities and for advancy their Japanese language skills in order for them to pursue fulfilling activities. The Center also provides advice on studying abroad and language study for Japanese students.

MAU has been engaged in international exchange activities with educational institutions worldwide and has fostered a variety of research projects and workshops through the International Exchange Project system, which sponsors joint projects that take place at MAU or at overseas institutions involving both faculty members and students. The system has sponsored a number of international educational programs that have resulted in quality educational and research outcomes that have gained a fine reputation internationally. MAU also hosts about 10 prominent artists, designers, and scholars who are active internationally as visiting professors every year, and provides opportunities for our students and faculty to communicate with the professors at workshops and extracurricular lectures.
To date, MAU has concluded exchange agreements with 21 preeminent educational institutions worldwide and also established Exchange Student programs with six of the affiliated institutions. Through study abroad programs, lasting for one year or half a year, students deepen academic and intercultural exchanges and share their points of view on a variety of current social problems with students from different historical, cultural, and social backgrounds. I believe that this experience represents vital contributor to the creation of new values in the fields of art and design.
In addition, MAU grants the Paris Award annually to graduates who have international perspectives and great promise for the future, and supports the activities of two recipients for a year at ateliers in the Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris. MAU has also established the Scholarship for Advanced Studies Abroad as one of its 80th anniversary celebrational projects.
Furthermore, MAU accepts foreign researchers. Their research, including distinctive cultural research of the Asian region and an exploration of intercultural exchange as well as educational research, plays an important role in the international exchange component of our institution.
In addition, MAU has been affiliated with International Council of Graphic Design Associations (ICOGRADA) and International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID) since 2010. MAU was the first university to be affiliated with the Councils in Japan. Both organizations are highly evaluated as international research institutions in the field of design and have provided us with opportunities to convey our research outcomes to a wider audience.

Thus, Musashino Art University continues to actively explore how the fields of art and design should function in the global community in the future and to work with other leading international educational institutions with the broader perspectives based on multilateral global networks.
To this end, MAU strives to engage keenly in promoting more advanced international exchange.