Meio University

In 1994, Meio University began as the sole privately managed university in Okinawa, established with public funds by Okinawa Prefecture as well as the northern 12 towns and villages which have the city of Nago as their center. In 2010, Meio was reborn as a public university. However, from its very inception Meio has always espoused its founding spirit of, “peace, freedom, and progress.” If we trace the history of humanity, it is no exaggeration to say it has been a history of warfare; and for that fact alone, the spirit which aspires to peace for humanity will not die away. In particular, in our own Okinawa Prefecture, which was transformed into a battleground for the last fierce fighting of World War II where intense ground warfare unfolded, the cultural legacy built up by our forebears was utterly demolished with over 200,000 precious lives lost. Accordingly, the aspiration for peace is a matter of great consequence for the citizens of the prefecture. Born out of this kind of historical understanding and from a desire to contribute to the construction and maintenance of world peace, this university was established to accomplish the mission of proclaiming a message of peace. Without peace, there can be no freedom. Yet the struggle for freedom has been at the heart of human history. humanity has struggled to liberate itself from dictatorship, oppression, social injustice, discrimination, poverty and starvation. However, our own country has a history where we experienced a time when we were a militaristic nation and a feudalistic society which oppressed freedom; and in the case of this prefecture, we were placed under American occupation and administrative authority starting from the Battle of Okinawa and extending over the succeeding 27 years. About what this university has been emphasizing most—it goes without saying—freedom of speech, of faith and of inquiry, we expect no argument. Without freedom, there can be no progress in university research and education.