About

What is the Sophia University Alumni Association (SUAA or "Sophia-kai" in Japanese)?

SUAA is the association of the alumni of four schools of the Sophia School Corporation: Sophia University, Sophia University Junior College Division, Sophia School of Social Welfare and Seibo Nursing School since the Seibo School Corporation merged with Sophia's in April 2011. It also considers current students of Sophia University as Associate Members. Those who studied in a Sophia school but did not receive diplomas can also become members by submitting a request with the recommendations of five Regular Members. The total number of SUAA members was 140,000 in April 2023.

Under its umbrella come SUAA organizations of regions, clubs, circles, classes, seminars, professions, businesses or industries. The SUAA has expanded its activities to cooperate with them. It also established SUAAs for faculties and departments in 2013 and started collaboration among groups. There were 320 resistered groups in the USAA in May 2025.

The SUAA has always been engaged in "making SUAA appropriate and open to its members".
The last general meeting in 2008 updated SUAA norms, revised its bylaws and established the Conference of National Representatives as the highest decision-making body replacing the general meeting.

Regional SUAA National Conferences started with Kyushu in 2009, followed by Kansai, Yamanashi and Hokkaido, leading to the successful expansion of the Tokyo Conference, followed by Niigata (2014), Hiroshima (2015), Sendai (2016), Nagoya (2017), Kagawa (2018), Matsumoto-Shinshu (2022) and Kagoshima (2023) .

Meanwhile, through the celebration of the 100th anniversary of Sophia University in 2013, the SUAA has been committed to various commemorative projects and fundraising in cooperation with Sophia University. As a result, the alumni have been able to make donations that have exceeded 1.2 billion yen in total.

The SUAA communicates with its members in various ways. Semi-annual publication Sophians Now is sent to more than 90,000 members.

Monthly e-mail news is also distributed to more than 50,000 subscribers.
In line with Sophia University's approach to globalization, the e-mail news is also partially translated into English since March 2013.

Concurrently, the SUAA website was renewed in 2011 and the news is updated about forty times a month.
The titles of the news are republished on SUAA's Facebook page.

History

The SUAA was officially founded in 1937 by graduates of Sophia University. The list below shows notable events that took place.

1913	Official foundation of Sophia University, permitted for higher education by the Meiji Government (under the act Sen-mon Gakko Rei).
1918	First graduation ceremony with nine graduates.
1924	First alumni meeting held on 16th November in the garden within the campus.
1925	Foundation of the Sophia Students Association.
1926	Publication of Sophia, the journal of Sophia Students Association on 5th April. Announcement of the Sophia Alumni Association as the official name in the alumni newsletter issued in October.
1927	SUAA organized by the graduates.
1936	Publication of the Sophia Alumni Association News (currently titled Sophians Now) in February.
1937	First general meeting of the SUAA at the old Marunouchi Building on 1st December. Fr. Hermann Heuvers, S.J., the second president of the university was elected as the first chancellor, and Mr. Michisuke Nishimura (Faculty of Commerce, graduated 1918) secretary general and the first president.
1948	The Tokyo Sophia Club (current "Sophians Club") opened in a Quonset hut on 30th August.
1954	General meeting of National SUAA held in the auditorium of the 1st Building on 3rd November.
1955	Donation collected from the graduates to fund SUAA.
1957	Office of the alumni association (currently called the SUAA office) opened on the 2nd Floor of the old Sophia House.
1965	The Sophia News, originally titled the Sophia Alumni Association News, started as a quarterly publication.
1973	Mirai-ni Mukatte (Looking to the Future) published by the alumni association for the 60th anniversary of Sophia University.
1974	The first All Sopihians' Festival (ASF) held in the garden of S. J. House on 18th May. The SUAA office moved to the 1st Floor of the 3rd Building and was renamed the Sophia Alumni Association Office.
1981	The Golden, Silver and Bronze Anniversary Celebrations started at the ASF on 31st May.
1987	Publication of Sophian's Now started.
1990	Issuance of Sophians Card (credit card) started.
1994	Sophian's Club opened in the Sophia Hall Annex facing Shinjuku Dori.
1995	Over 4,000 people visited ASF.
1997	SUAA website (Japanese) launched.
2002	SUAA Contribution Course started to contribute to our alma mater.
2004	100th monthly lecture at the Sophian's Club held on 2nd December. The commemorative lecture "What is Sophia?" was given by Archbishop Joseph Pittau, S.J.
2005	SUAA's Fundraising Committee was founded for the 100th anniversary of university.
2008	SUAA office started in the form of several committees.

Directory

Stay in touch with the SUAA communities.

Department/Faculty SUAAs

New groups of SUAA, established at the time of the 100th anniversary of Sophia University in 2013, aim to build strong ties among alumni, students and professors.

URL:http://www.sophiakai.gr.jp/news/faculty/index.html

Regional and other SUAA chapters

There are more than 313 SUAA chapters throughout the world. There are SUAAs of club activities, business and workplace groups. Stay connected and find out more with the following links.

• Regional SUAA Chapters (Overseas):http://www.sophiakai.gr.jp/news/overseas/index.html
• Regional SUAA Chapters (in Japan):http://www.sophiakai.gr.jp/news/domestic/index.html
• Other SUAA Chapters:http://www.sophiakai.gr.jp/news/others/index.html

Online Registration

Please submit your contact information using the form in the URL below.
If you would like to subscribe to the bi-monthly email news, please use the same form for registration.

URL:https://www.sophiakai.gr.jp/form/fid_47.html

Office

Sophia University Alumni Association

Address: 7-1, Kioicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan 102-8554
Tel: +81 (0)3-3238-3041
Fax: +81 (0)3-3238-3028
E-mail:
Office hours: 10:00~17:00 (closed on Sat, Sun and National Holidays)