HE Julia Longbottom CMG
HM Ambassador to Japan
Message from the President
“It is a great honour to be invited to serve as President of the Cambridge and Oxford Society of Japan.
The world, my world, has changed immeasurably since I first walked down The Chimney, the main entrance to Jesus College, Cambridge, to interview for a place to study Modern and Medieval Languages (French and German) in 1981. I had little idea that in the four years ahead of me, I would build friendships for life, meet my future (and present) husband, be inspired by the wit and curiosity of my fellow students, expand my horizons through the teaching of leading academics, and ultimately secure a place in the Foreign & Commonwealth Office.
In the forty years since then, much has remained reassuringly familiar about Oxford and Cambridge: the college system; the historic buildings and courtyards; the excellence of academic output and innovation; the extraordinary number of Nobel laureates, global leaders and researchers each continues to produce; the ceremonial traditions surrounding matriculation and graduation.
Yet our universities have also evolved. Both are working to attract the best candidates from all backgrounds and identities, and are increasingly committed to promoting equality and diversity. Around 24% of undergraduates are now international students. No colleges remain single-sex. My own college elected its first female Master — Barbados-born Sonita Alleyne — in 2019, forty years after first admitting women. The world has changed, and Oxbridge has changed with it.
I look forward, as soon as circumstances allow, to meeting Society members — to hearing about your experiences at Cambridge and/or Oxford, how they have shaped your lives, and how they have helped equip you to thrive and contribute in today’s ever-changing world — and tomorrow.”
Julia Longbottom, CMG
President