NEWS

[Obituary] Professor Emeritus Nobuyuki Matsuoka Passes Away at Age 78

Update: February 27, 2025

Nobuyuki Matsuoka, who served at ICU from 1978 to 2012 (also as Dean of Students, Head of the Department of Health and Physical Education), passed away on Tuesday, January 28, 2025 at the age of 78. The University wishes to express its sincere condolences.

Matsuoka entered ICU Department of Health and Physical Education as a full-time instructor in April 1978. He became Assistant Professor in 1986 and Professor in 1997. He assumed a role of the head of the Department of Health and Physical Education in 1988, Director of Physical Education Center in 1990, Dean of Students in 2000, and made many efforts on behalf of health and physical education as part of a liberal arts education over many years.

Over that time, Matsuoka not only worked to improve health and PE courses as part of the regular curriculum but also made improvements to studentsʼ extracurricular activities and many contributions to the management and operation of the physical education facilities. He placed importance on the knowledge each individual can gain through movement of their own bodies and strongly asserted that the expansion of knowledge gained through practical means was an important element in liberal arts education.

That work was not confined to ICU. By serving a role such as the director of research at the Japanese Association of University Physical Education and Sports (JAUPES), Matsuoka made great contributions to the development of higher education and liberal arts education in Japan from a broad perspective on health and physical education. The JAUPES honored these contributions to university health and physical education by giving Matsuoka their "University Physical Education Award" in 2011.