About Us

Our History

1913

• Tohoku University becomes first Japanese university to open its doors to women students when President Masataro Sawayanagi admits Ume Tange, Raku Makita, and Chika Kuroda to the College of Science. (For details, see Milestones in women’s education.)

2001

• The Tohoku University Committee of Gender Equality is established.
• The Proposal for Promotion of Gender Equality at Tohoku University is issued.

2002

• Hosting of 1st Annual Gender Equality Symposium, “Learning/Education and Gender Equality.”
• Proclamation of the Tohoku University Declaration on Promoting Gender Equality.

2003

• Adoption of the 21st Century COE program “Gender and Law Policy Center” (5 years).
• Tohoku University Prize for the Encouragement of Gender Equality (Sawayanagi Prize) is established.
• Hosting of 2nd Annual Gender Equality Symposium, “What are sex differences? The gap between humans and people,” with the Sawayanagi Prize’s inaugural award ceremony.
• Gender equality working groups are set up in all departments.

2004

• 3rd Annual Gender Equality Symposium, “Contemporary Society and Gender,” and 2nd Sawayanagi Prize ceremony.

2005

• On-campus nursery Kawauchi Keyaki Hoikuen is opened.
• 4th Annual Gender Equality Symposium, “Gender Equality at Universities: How Far Has It Come?” and 3rd Sawayanagi Prize ceremony.

2006

• Adoption of “Tohoku Women’s Hurdling Project” (3 years) under the Special Coordination Funds for Promoting Science and Technology / Development of Role Models to Support Female Researchers. The Office for Women Researchers is established (2009 website, 2010–13 website) and various support programs are launched.
• 5th Annual Gender Equality Symposium, “Women Researchers at Universities: Actions for Cultivating and Supporting Them,” and 4th Sawayanagi Prize ceremony. (Poster)

2007

• Pilot program for shorter working hours for childcare givers is initiated.
• University considers program for lengthening term of employment for employees who take childcare leave, etc.
• Endowment from Zonta Club of Sendai I is used to fund a new 5-year program for supporting the overseas travel costs of female graduate students (Rose Assistance).
• 6th Annual Gender Equality Symposium, “Innovation from Gender Equality,” and 5th Sawayanagi Prize ceremony.

2008

• Adoption of Global COE program “Gender Equality and Multicultural Conviviality in the Age of Globalization” (5 years).
• Official adoption of program for shorter working hours for childcare givers, and program lengthening term of employment for employees who take childcare leave, etc.
• 7th Annual Gender Equality Symposium, “Gender Equality at Universities: Breaking through the Invisible Wall” and 6th Sawayanagi Prize ceremony.
• Survey is conducted regarding the need for a second on-campus nursery.

2009

• 8th Annual Gender Equality Symposium, “Gender Equality at Tohoku University Today: Talking Frankly about Challenges and Future Prospects” and 7th Sawayanagi Prize ceremony.
• Adoption of “Tohoku Leading Women’s Jump Up Project for 2013” (5 years; 2009 website, 2010–13 website) under the Special Coordination Funds for Promoting Science and Technology / Initiative to Accelerate Reform of Systems for Cultivating Women Researchers.
• Tohoku Women’s Hurdling University Project is continued, using funds from the university budget.
• The second on-campus nursery, Hoshinoko Hoikuen, is opened. (Seiryo Campus)

2010

• 9th Annual Gender Equality Symposium, “Gender Equality Policies and the Mission of Universities” and 8th Sawayanagi Prize ceremony.

2011

• The Tohoku University Science Angels program wins the Japan Encouragement Prize and the Special Prize of the L’Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science.

2012

• Extension of endowment from Zonta Club of Sendai I is used to continue the program for supporting the overseas travel costs of female graduate students.
• 10th Annual Gender Equality Symposium, “New Horizons for Gender Equality at Tohoku University on the Road to a Third New Era” and 9th & 10th Sawayanagi Prize ceremony.

2013

• A project is launched to commemorate the centennial of the admission of the first women students.
• The Tohoku University Gender Equality Policy is issued.

2014

• The Tohoku University Center for Gander Equality Promotion (TUMUG) is opened.
• 11th Annual Gender Equality Symposium, “New Messages toward Gender-equal Society in the Future: From Tohoku University as It Marks the 101st Year of Educating Women” and 1st Sawayanagi Memorial Prize ceremony.

2016

• Adoption of “Morinomiyako Project for Empowering Women in Research” (3 years) under MEXT’s Initiative for Realizing Diversity in the Research Environment (Distinctive Features Type).
• 13th Annual Gender Equality Symposium, “Ask about Male Gender”, and 3rd Sawayanagi Memorial Prize ceremony with its presentation

2017

• Starting Tohoku University Promoting Female Faculty Project 
• Establishing Murasaki Sendai Hagi Award to honor female researchers on campus 
• 14th Annual Gender Equality Symposium, “Think about Gender, Life & Rule”, and 4th Sawayanagi Memorial Prize ceremony with its presentation

2018

• Establishing Aobayama Nursery (max. 116 children) on campus, Expanding Hoshinoko Nursery (from 25 to 120 children)
• Creating Tohoku University 2030 Vision, adding a strategy to promote gender equality based on diversity & inclusion

2019

• Human Resources Strategic Meeting – a strategy to promote hiring people with different backgrounds (regardless of age, gender, and nationality)
• Setting up Cross-appointment system (researchers who belong to other companies/institutions can engage in education/research at TU) and Next Generation system focused on female/international faculty 

2020

• Registering August 21st as “Female College Student’s Day”, and Female College Student’s Day Anniversary Event
• TU’s archive, “Women’s Student Record in Higher Education in Japan”  chosen by UNESCO “Memory of the World” Project
• Starting “Science Angels” Note (blog)

2021

• Aiming ⅓ female employees for higher than assistant professor positions, determined by Human Resources Strategic Meeting (chairman:TU President)
• Conducting a survey regarding sexual & gender diversity to all the campus members

2022

• Announcing Tohoku University Declaration of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)
• DEI Declaration Symposium
• Receiving the 4th Brilliant Female Researchers Award (The Jun Ashida Award)

2023

• Changing the center’s name from “Center for Gender Equality Promotion” to “Center for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” 
• Changing “Gender Equality Promotion Committee”  to “DEI Committee”