On August 6, Kobe Gakuin University officially joined the Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies, becoming its first member in Japan.

The university’s participation in the initiative was formalized during a meeting between the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska; the university’s president, Professor Nobuhiko Bishu; Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andrii Sybiha; and Olha Budnyk, Advisor – Commissioner of the President of Ukraine on the Fund of the President of Ukraine for the Support of Education, Science, and Sports.

“This national initiative of Ukraine to promote the study of our history, culture, and language in leading universities around the world is of strategic importance. For years, the aggressor state, Russia, has imposed its own narrative on Ukraine and continues to spread this distorted view globally. Now, as we defend our land, we must also defend the truth about who we are,” emphasized the First Lady.

As part of the partnership, the library of the Matsuguchi Tadashi Anniversary Ukraine Research Center received the photo catalogue “Stonebreaker: Women’s Resistance in Crimea” — a photographic edition of the exhibition of the same name, created by the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea / Crimea Platform. The publication tells the stories of women who, despite the occupation, continue to defend and preserve their identity, families, and communities.

The Matsuguchi Tadashi Anniversary Ukraine Research Center is the first research institution in the Indo-Pacific region focused on Ukraine. Opened in November 2024 at Kobe Gakuin University, the Center explores the political, economic, cultural, and historical realities of Ukraine. It is headed by Professor Yoshihiko Okabe — President of the Association of Ukrainian Studies in Japan, Honorary Consul of Ukraine in Kobe, author of over 20 academic works on Ukraine, and a leading expert on Ukrainian history.

We are sincerely grateful to the university and the entire academic community for their commitment to freedom, human dignity, and truth.

The Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies is a joint initiative of the First Lady of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Institute, the Fund of the President of Ukraine for the Support of Education, Science, and Sports, the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea / Crimea Platform, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. Its goal is to foster the development of Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar studies in leading academic institutions worldwide and to promote objective knowledge about Ukraine — its culture, language, history, and identity.

Within just one year, 14 universities from Finland, the Czech Republic, South Africa, Austria, Canada, Estonia, the Republic of Korea, Italy, and other countries have already joined the Coalition. In total, more than 70 universities around the world have expressed interest in becoming part of this initiative.