Founding Spirit and Fundamental Ideal

Tokyo Denki University (TDU) was founded in 1907 by two young engineers who played active roles in the industrial world, Seiichi Hirota and Shinkichi Ogimoto, to concretize their sublime idea, “Promoting engineering education is indeed the foundation for the development of a nation.” Through its solid and diligent academic culture, TDU has been fostering students for more than a century with the mission, “Development of Human Resources Who Contribute to Society by Technology.” TDU also has been providing quality instruction based on the two educational maxims: “Respect for Practical Study” and “Students First.” TDU continues to cultivate excellent human resources to meet the needs of society, changing with the times to make significant contributions to the development of Japan’s science and technology.

This is the motto of Yasujiro Niwa, widely known as the inventor of phototelegraphic transmission facsimile (Fax machine) and one of the ten greatest inventors in Japan, as selected by Japan Patent Office. He was also the first president of TDU and its graduate schools. His phrase has been adopted as TDU’s fundamental educational and research ideal and guiding light. Niwa’s words mean that a comprehensive technology embodies the engineer’s character and ideas, and thus it is critical to cultivate engineers who can pursue the essence of technology and create new values with a broad vision.