Founding Philosophy

Aya Kagawa and her husband Shozo had a purpose - to rid the country of illness through the application of healthy eating practices. As physicians at the University of Tokyo, Aya and Shozo were involved in research into the disease beri beri. While researching methods of cooking rice, Aya came up with the idea of using whole rice,that is rice with the embryo still attached. She discovered that this whole rice was an excellent source of Vitamin B1, a substance that was almost completely lost in the polishing process and hence lacking white rice. Knowing that Vitamin B1 helped in the prevention of beri beri, she suggested the incorporation of this whole rice into the diets of those suffering from the disease - these patients soon recovered.

Many doctors in those days worked on curing illness, but few if any sought to treat people so that they didn't fall ill in the first place. This is what Aya and Shozo strove for - the promotion of good health through nutrition.

This was the founding idea behind today's Kagawa Education Institute of Nutrition.

Today, the Institute seeks to educate students to be capable of providing guidance on nutrition and health to combat life-style related diseases and to contribute to the establishment of healthy individuals and communities. We realize that ensuring that food tastes good is also essential in the encouragement of healthy dietary habits, and are devoted to research in this field.This dual Approach to nutrition enables our students to examine their chosen fields of study from both a theoretical as well as a practical perspective. Our graduates are armed with unique knowledge and skills that enable them to take leadership positions in health policy making, cultivating new food cultures and invigorating creative food industries. They are able to contribute in all areas relating to food, health and nutrition, and provide valuable services to their communities.