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Tohoku University celebrated the 117th anniversary of its founding with Homecoming Day festivities on September 28, bringing together the local community and alumni eager to reconnect, reminisce and learn more about the university's latest activities.

With the government's Universities for International 雷速体育_中国足彩网￥在线直播 Excellence initiative a frequent topic of conversation these days, President Teiji Tominaga gave a lecture explaining the programme, in which profits from a 10 trillion JPY investment will be used to support the research of qualifying institutions.

He shared Tohoku University's strategic vision as it approaches final accreditation, emphasizing commitments to impact, talent and change. "We want to create social value that will have a significant impact, foster brilliant minds and talent, and reflect global readiness in our governance style," he said.

Vice President for Social Outreach Tetsuya Nagasaka, who also oversees the Tohoku University Fund and Alumni Association, then announced the winners of several awards honouring international alumni and partners who have significantly enhanced the university's global reputation.

South African alumna Pelonomi Moiloa received the International Merit Award for her work as CEO and co-founder of Lelapa.ai. Time magazine named her one of the top 100 leaders in artificial intelligence development worldwide.

Pedro B.F. Hsu, chairman of Fortune Electric Co., Ltd, and founder of the Taiwan Alumni Association, was honoured for his success in Taiwan's power equipment sector and his leadership in green energy.

Jerome B. Hastings, a research professor at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, received the Special Award for his role in developing X-ray Free Electron Lasers (XFEL) and his contributions to the realisation of NanoTerasu Light Source on Tohoku University's Aobayama campus.

The Science and Technology Award went to Chen Lidong, a professor at the Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, for his work on thermoelectrics, a promising technology for combating global warming.

For the third consecutive year, the Indonesian Alumni Association (IATU) was recognised for promoting Tohoku University's academic strengths to prospective students.

All winners will be invited back to Sendai to receive their award at a ceremony later this year.

The day's first session concluded with presentations from student groups, including the Tohoku University Windnauts, the street dance group WHO and the Mars Exploration Rover ARES project team.

The second session of the day was dedicated to celebrating the song "Midori-no-oka," written a decade ago by alumnus and renowned singer-songwriter Kazumasa Oda.

The song, meaning "Green Hills," symbolises strength and unity, and was a gift of encouragement to the university after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.

A montage of memories was shared, followed by a video message from Oda expressing his fondness for the song. Alumna Eri Chichibu, an emerging musician, then performed a special arrangement of "Midori-no-oka" with the Tohoku University Alumni Association Mixed Choir.

The celebration of the song continued in a small exhibition area featuring Oda memorabilia, artwork and old interviews.

It was truly a day of nostalgia and new memories. For some, there was even a literal journey down memory lane as they participated in special tours around campus.

Throughout the day, there were food and drink stalls in front of Hagi Hall, with Gelateria Natu-Lino's ice cream truck offering the popular Traveling Gelato - nine unique flavours developed in collaboration with the university's international students.

Other vendors included Rikyu, CHICCI, and Kakuchin, while the Tohoku University Co-op and Fujisaki Department Store sold university-branded merchandise and commemorative goods inspired by "Midori-no-oka."