It is with deep sadness that the United Nations University (UNU) has learned of the death of former UNU Senior Vice-Rector Professor Takashi Inoguchi.
Prof. Inoguchi and his daughter passed away tragically in a home fire in Tokyo on 27 November 2024. He is survived by another daughter and his wife Dr. Kuniko Inoguchi — a dear friend of UNU and currently a member of the House of Councillors in Japan’s National Diet.
To honour the life and achievements of Prof. Inoguchi, UNU headquarters will fly the UN flag at half-mast for one week.
Born in 1944 in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, Professor Inoguchi was a leading authority in political science, foreign affairs, and education in Japan. He held the position of UNU Senior Vice-Rector, with the rank of UN Assistant Secretary-General, from 1995 through 1997. He was recently appointed as a UNU Senior Non-Resident Fellow.
Throughout a five-decade career, Prof. Inoguchi taught thousands of students as a professor at leading universities abroad and in Japan including Sophia University, the University of Tokyo, and Chuo University.
Prior to joining UNU in 1995, Prof. Inoguchi held research and teaching positions outside of Japan, including at the Université de Genève (1977–78), Harvard University (1984), Australian National University (1986), University of Delhi (1989), Aarhus University (1990), Johns Hopkins University (1990), Universitas Gadjah Mada (1990), the University of California, Berkeley (1993), and Beijing University (1993).
Professor Inoguchi served from 2009–2017 as President of Niigata Prefectural University and was most recently Eminent Scholar-Professor at J. F. Oberlin University (Tokyo) and Professor Emeritus at the University of Tokyo. He published more than 100 books in both Japanese and English, as well as hundreds of papers and journal articles throughout his career.
Prof. Inoguchi received bachelor's and master's degrees in international relations from the University of Tokyo in 1966 and 1968 respectively. He obtained his PhD in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1974.
Among Prof. Inoguchi’s many awards and accolades, in November 2023, he was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon for his contributions to the fields of education and research. This Order, one of Japan’s highest honours, is bestowed upon individuals with significant accomplishments in fields such as public service, academia, arts and culture.
"I am profoundly shaken and saddened by the sudden and tragic death of Professor Inoguchi and his daughter. On behalf of UNU, I offer our deepest sympathies to his wife, Dr. Kuniko Inoguchi, her daughter and their extended family,” said UNU Rector and UN Under-Secretary-General Tshilidzi Marwala.
Rector Marwala added: “Professor Inoguchi’s legacy is one of immense contributions to Japanese society and beyond, and he demonstrated an exemplary commitment to education, and ultimately peace, through a better understanding of international relations, politics and sustainable development.
“Over the past year, I have had the honour of working with and learning from Professor Inoguchi as we and other colleagues co-edited a book series exploring evidence-based approaches to peace and conflict studies. Throughout our collaboration it was clear that his warm academic spirit and unparalleled understanding of global issues were a treasure.
"May his legacy of scholarship and service be solace to his loved ones in this extremely difficult time."
