A ceremony was held at the Centre for Eastern Languages and Cultures, part of the Faculty of Classical and Modern Philologies at Sofia University ‘St. Kliment Ohridski,’ to officially unveil a bust of Prof. Dr. Shigeyoshi Matsumae, the founder of Tokai University and a distinguished scholar, politician, and public figure.
The ceremony was attended by Prof. Dr. Georgi Valchev, Rector of Sofia University; Mrs. Iliana Iotova, Vice President of the Republic of Bulgaria; H.E. Hisashi Michigami, Ambassador of Japan to Bulgaria; Acad. Nikolay Vitanov, Deputy Minister of Education and Science; Prof. Stefan Stefanov, President of St. Cyril and Methodius Foundation; Prof. Toshiyuki Inazu, Vice-Rector of Tokai University; Prof. Reneta Bojankova, Vice-Rector of Sofia University; Prof. Gergana Petkova, Dean of the Faculty of Classical and Modern Philologies; Prof. Ivo Panov, Director of the Centre for Eastern Languages and Cultures; and representatives from Tokai University and Sofia University.
The event was organized by the Department of Japanese Studies at the Faculty of Classical and Modern Philologies, St. Kliment Ohridski, as part of initiatives marking three significant anniversaries.
The first anniversary honors the 115th anniversary of Prince Kuni Kuniyoshi’s visit to Bulgaria in 1909, marking the country’s independence. The second commemorates 85 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Bulgaria and Japan in 1939. The third celebrates 65 years since the restoration of these diplomatic ties in 1959. At the invitation of Tokai University, Svetlana Atanasova and Martina Nikolova from the BNR Children’s Choir, who have toured Japan 18 times, performed Tokai University’s anthem.