Dr. Michitoshi Soga

Awarded honorary doctorate

Josai University, Japan

Dr. Michitoshi Soga, Western Michigan University Emeritus Professor of Physics, who worked tirelessly for decades to build relationships and linkages in Japan by setting up programs with Japanese universities, hosting Japanese students attending WMU, and helping to build a Japanese alumni network, was awarded an honorary doctorate by Josai University in Saitama, Japan in September.

The invitation to accept the award at Josai University was extended to Soga by President Yasunori Morimodo. Soga, and his wife of 53 years, Ryoko, attended Josai’s September 30 commencement to accept the degree presented by WMU alumnus and JU Professor Yoshiaki Ryu, director of the Josai University International Education Center.

"Since 1968, Dr. Soga has welcomed Japanese exchange students in Kalamazoo and has worked to established relationships with a number of Japanese universities," said Ryu, who earned a master’s degree in economics at WMU in 1977. "Moreover, he has worked to build a network of friendships throughout the western Michigan area with Japanese businesses and visitors. He was also instrumental in founding the Battle Creek Japanese School."

Soga joined the WMU physics faculty in 1968. In 1986, he transitioned to a half-time teaching load and serving half-time as an administrative officer for the Office of International Affairs. In 1993, Soga retired from teaching and worked full-time in the international office until his retirement in 1996.

His 28-year legacy of bridge-building between his native land and Kalamazoo through the exchange of faculty, students, and business leaders was honored by WMU in 2006 with the founding of the Michitoshi Soga Japan Center.

Housed in the Haenicke Institute for Global Education, the center was designed to strengthen the University’s Japan-related study, research and relationships, as well as to serve as a community resource. Many of WMU’s Japanese alumni were instrumental in helping establish the facility and traveled to Kalamazoo in September 2006 to celebrate the opening of the center with Japanese-style toasts. Click here to read about the reception.

This degree was not for me; this was for Western," said Soga, when he visited the Haenicke Institute with his Josai degree in October. "This office worked very hard to maintain good relationships with Japanese universities. WMU was the first university from outside Japan that Josai University partnered with to exchange students. I still vividly remember the day when former Chancellor Seiko Mizuta and Chancellor Noriko Mizuta visited the WMU campus and signed the agreement between the two institutions."

Haenicke Institute Associate Dean Wilson "Bill" Woods worked closely with Soga when he served in WMU’s Office of International Affairs and to establish the Soga Japan Center.

"Dr. Soga is a man of gentle bearing but firm determination in spreading the word of cross-cultural understanding," Woods said. "From the day he began his work in international education on our campus, he has set an example for his colleagues in how to interact with people from foreign lands. His unofficial title as 'Ambassador to Japan' was earned many times over. Generations of students studying in Japan, and Japanese students studying in Kalamazoo, owe a debt of gratitude to Dr. Soga."

Ever the teacher, Soga used his 30-minute acceptance speech to advise the young graduates "that a life does not necessarily happen as expected, but rather as a succession of unexpected events." Click here for full speech.

Born in Tokyo in 1926, Soga said during the first 18 years of his life Japan waged a series of wars on foreign soil that ended in total defeat in World War II. Soga witnessed the 1945 Tokyo Air Raid, Japan’s September Surrender, and the devastation that followed. He remembers that "there was no food, no jobs, and people’s hearts were hardened."

After Japan regained its independence and made some economic recovery, Soga studied theoretical physics, earned a Ph.D. in natural science, and was hired as an assistant in the physics department of a national university in Tokyo. In his early 30’s, Soga responded to demand in the United States for scientists and researchers to rapidly advance the nation’s aerospace program for the space race with Russia. In 1961, by propeller plane, Soga made a two-day journey to Chicago to work in a U.S. government laboratory and eventually made his way to an east coast research laboratory. Seeking a research professorship in 1968, Soga turned down a one-year position at Massachusetts Institute of Technology to join WMU as a tenure-track faculty.

"I had a good offer in California, but we had three small kids and one of my colleagues told me it wasn’t a good place to raise kids," Soga said. "WMU had an Argonne accelerator, which I knew would be helpful for my research, so we moved to Kalamazoo."

Mrs. Soga

Soga entered full retirement in 1996 and enjoys a "quiet retired life" with Ryoko in a house designed and built by one of their son in a rural area near Kalamazoo. He has turned his attention to reading books and attending concerts, sports, and other University events he did not have time to enjoy when he was teaching and conducting research. He remains "on call" for the University to serve as a diplomat for Japanese institutions, alumni, and students.

Soga closed his acceptance speech with some sage advice and a call to action for JU’s new graduates.

"Money might be important; you may want power," he said. "However, you should not be controlled by these things — rather you should control them. You should build such a society. Make Japan just, bright and energetic. Make the world peaceful for everybody."

Michitoshi Soga Japan Center

Diether H. Haenicke Institute for Global Education