Notes from the President's Office No. 14: Visits to Keio University by the NATO Secretary-General and the President of the UN General Assembly—Security for "Humans," "Nations," and the "Planet"
February 27, 2023
Kohei Itoh, President of Keio University
On February 1, 2023, NATO Secretary-General H. E. Mr. Jens Stoltenberg visited Mita Campus. In addition to giving a lecture, he engaged in a truly dynamic Q&A session with faculty and Keio students. (Note 1) The Keio students who filled the venue all raised their hands at once, asking a wide variety of questions in English that were remarkably direct, ranging from academic inquiries to criticisms of NATO. In response, Secretary-General Stoltenberg, who has also served as Prime Minister of Norway, answered every question with great care. For the full lecture, panel discussion, and Q&A session, please watch the official NATO video .
Secretary-General Stoltenberg's arguments were remarkably focused and brilliant. From the perspective of human security, he pointed out the severe violation of the human rights of Ukrainian civilians. From the perspective of national security, he stressed that we must never allow a major power to use military force to take over another sovereign nation for its own convenience.
He also praised the bravery of the Ukrainian people, affirmed NATO's unwavering support, and asked for Japan's cooperation. He then stated, "What is happening in Europe today could happen in East Asia tomorrow," referring to a potential Taiwan contingency. This must have given the Keio students much to think about. Should Japan intervene, including militarily, if the human rights of the Taiwanese people are severely violated? However, as a pacifist nation, Japan has renounced the use of force as a means of settling international disputes. Since Japan does not recognize Taiwan as an independent state, what would be the appropriate response if the situation were framed as a Chinese civil war? Would an invasion of Taiwan directly threaten Japan's security? Why is NATO delivering such a message to the Japanese people in the first place? If NATO and Japan were to strengthen their partnership, what would be the objectives, benefits, and disadvantages?
I also found myself contemplating many things in the hall. I focused particularly on the balance between human security and national security. As Yukichi Fukuzawa wrote in "Gakumon no susume (An Encouragement of Learning)," "First, individuals must be independent, then the nation can be independent." The philosophy of Keio University is that sovereignty ultimately resides with each individual citizen, and based on the independence and dignity of these citizens, we should democratically build a good, independent sovereign nation. This means engaging in proper economic and diplomatic activities to continuously ensure human security in Japan and around the world. The state or its rulers must not take precedence. Only when an independent state is founded on the independence of its individuals can it make a meaningful contribution in diplomacy. It can contribute to global development that prioritizes human security. However, on top of that, we must also be prepared for cases where our security and the security of our nation are unilaterally threatened by military force. The first part of "Gakumon no susume (An Encouragement of Learning)" contains the sentence: "When the nation is disgraced, the freedom and independence of the country is upheld only when every single person in Japan is willing to sacrifice their life so as not to diminish the nation's prestige." Is it necessary to develop a theory of the state that prioritizes human security, exhaust all diplomatic efforts, and then prepare for the worst-case scenario? NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg presented Keio students and all of us with a great many challenges to consider.
Two weeks later, on February 16, 2023, we welcomed H.E. Mr. Csaba Kőrösi, President of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly, for a symposium titled "Standing at the Halfway Point: Toward Accelerating the Process of Achieving the SDGs." (Note 2) Mr. Kőrösi served as co-chair of the "UN Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals" in 2014 and was a key figure in leading member states to the unanimous adoption of the "2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development" at the UN Summit in September 2015. This year, 2023, marks the halfway point toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, making it a year for a mid-term review of progress. Hosted by Norichika Kanie, a professor at the Graduate School of Media and Governance and head of the Keio Research Institute at SFC xSDG Lab Consortium, and moderated by journalist and Project Professor Hiroko Kuniya, the event also welcomed Akihiko Tanaka, President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), for an in-depth Q&A session with Keio students.
President Kőrösi explained the dire situation in which humanity's response has failed to keep pace with the "great acceleration" of global environmental degradation within the framework of the Anthropocene, and he emphatically stated that what is needed is not just change, but transformation. He particularly emphasized the importance of carefully examining the impact that one country's policies and activities have on other nations. He also said that instead of merely making efforts within our means, we must clarify the path needed to achieve the 2030 goals and that humanity must unite to create the necessary rules to do so. However, it is meaningless if this rule-making process takes too long. Since these are rules for achieving the 2030 roadmap, they must be continuously and speedily updated with everyone's agreement, and all of us must abide by the latest rules. Participating in this rule-making will be what it means to lead the world of tomorrow. Mr. Kőrösi's leadership, which not only formulated the "2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development" as a mere proposal but guided it to unanimous adoption by UN member states, is on an unimaginable level. Everyone in the audience was moved by the sight of such a leader speaking so earnestly about his sense of crisis regarding the 2030 deadline.
The SDGs represent the concept of security for humans and the planet, which means that national security must be set aside. Within the framework of national security, discussions include not only national defense but also the economy. When it comes to national defense and the economy, the prosperity of one country can sometimes be achieved through the decline of another, which is incompatible with the SDG principle of "leaving no one behind." In Russia's invasion of Ukraine, many Russian citizens are being sacrificed as soldiers for the sake of the president's vision of Russia's security. Human security is being neglected for the security of the state or its ruler.
One of the catalysts for the concept of human security gaining global recognition was the establishment of the Commission on Human Security (CHS) at the United Nations in 2001 . Japan reportedly took the initiative in this activity, and Sadako Ogata and Amartya Sen were appointed as the first co-chairs of the CHS. Ms. Ogata later became the first president of JICA and also established the JICA Research Institute. One of the three pillars of that Research Institute is human security. Ms. Ogata passed away in 2019, much to everyone's sorrow, and in honor of her achievements, the JICA Research Institute was renamed the JICA Ogata Sadako Research Institute for Peace and Development . Akihiko Tanaka, the president who leads JICA, strongly advocates that Japan should be the one to lead international cooperation centered on human security.
I hope that the direct dialogue with NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg and UN General Assembly President Kőrösi will be a turning point in the lives of our Keio students. The purpose of education is to equip young people with high aspirations and the ability to execute them. It is to give them dreams and hope, and to have them build a better society. The NATO Secretary-General spoke of his sense of crisis regarding the security of humans and nations, while the President of the UN General Assembly spoke of the security of humans and the planet. What they both had in common was a determination to overcome these challenges, and the logic and charisma to make us believe that they would indeed succeed. It is a future-oriented mindset of working together to overcome this sense of crisis and create a brighter society. I want Keio University to continue to be a place that invites many opinion leaders from around the world for the benefit of our Keio students.
(Note 1) Secretary-General Stoltenberg's lecture at Mita Campus was held as a Keio Global Research Institute (KGRI) event, thanks to the efforts of Associate Professor Michito Tsuruoka of the Faculty of Policy Management, Professor Yuichi Hosoya of the Faculty of Law, and Professor Satoru Mori, who were consulted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(Note 2) President Kőrösi's lecture was hosted by the Keio University Keio Research Institute at SFC xSDG Lab Consortium at Roppongi Academy Hills, thanks to the efforts of Professor Norichika Kanie. A dinner was subsequently held in the President's honor at Mita Campus.