HKU product Diana Khor to become first HKer to head Japanese university

Hong Kong-born Diana Khor will take over as the president of Hosei University next year, becoming the Tokyo-based institution’s first foreign national and the first Hongkonger to head a Japanese university.

The 64-year-old is expected to succeed current president Katsuya Hirose, Japanese media reported.

According to the university webpage, Khor is currently the vice president responsible for matters related to global diversity and gender equality. She has served as dean faculty of Global and Interdisciplinary Studies.

She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Hong Kong. She then received a master’s degree and a PhD title from Stanford University in the United States. Her research interest is sociology, gender and sexuality studies.

According to the Asahi Shimbun, Khor aims to increase the ratio of women among the faculty members from its current 24 percent.

She also intended to improve the university’s brand value, saying, “We have many excellent students and internationalization is progressing, but this is not known outside the university.”