Osaka University Get-Together held in Tokyo

An " Osaka University Alumni Get-Together in Tokyo " has been held annually since 2009 in order to inform Osaka University alumni living in the Kanto area about the current situation at the university.

This year the name for the event was changed and simplified to " Osaka University Get-Together " in order to encourage the participation of all persons affiliated with OU in the Kanto. The 2012 Osaka University Get-Together was held at Gakushi Kaikan in Tokyo on Friday , December 7 . About 200 people --alumni, current and former faculty and staff-- participated in this event.

The program began with a greeting from President Toshio HIRANO who talked about the history, current situation, and future initiatives of the university under the title of "The Future of Osaka University -- to be a university that shines forth even into the 22nd century".

His talk was followed by a lecture, " Osaka University and me -- Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow " by INOUE Yukari , representative director and president, Nihon Kraft Foods Ltd., a 1985 graduate of the School of Economics. She talked about memories of her school days, how her life has changed, and her hopes for OU. She closed her speech with a cheerleading shout for the university.

The second portion of the program, a time for socializing and mixing, began with a greeting from KUMAGAI Nobuaki , President of the Federation of Alumni Association and Former Osaka University President. This was followed with a toast by IKEDA Hiromasa , Tokyo Branch Manager for the Osaka University Engineering Society.

Alumni from Tokyo branches of the alumni associations of OU schools and the Osaka University International Alumni Association also spoke on their recent activities, enhancing the mood of the party.

The university expresses its sincere appreciation to all persons for their participation in this year's reunion and looks forward to seeing many more again next year!

INOUE Yukari

President Hirano poses with participants at the reunion.