Hyogo Medical University Closes Confucius Institute

On July 29th, Hyogo Medical University announced the closure of the Confucius Institute, which was jointly operated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

 About 20 years ago, the CCP Government began to establish Confucius Institutes in universities and educational institutions around the world. To date, there are about 550 Confucius Institutes in 160 countries, and a total of 15 have been opened in Japan. Confucius Institute are generally run jointly by the CCP and local educational institutions, with the CCP sending Chinese teachers to teach in residence. In recent years, the FBI has investigated suspicions that Confucius Institutes are being used for espionage activities and closing them. The U.K. has also closed its Confucius Institutes.

 The Confucius Institute at Hyogo Medical University in Japan was established to promote the study of Chinese medicine, but it is difficult to see how the university leadership has any real decision-making power. Japan’s Ministry of Education and Culture suspects the Confucius Institute of being a stronghold for CCP espionage and political propaganda because its activities are not transparent. The closure will take place February 28th. This follows the closure of the Confucius Institute at Japan’s Kogakuin University.