New Year's Address at the 187th Commemorative Ceremony for the Birth of Yukichi Fukuzawa"To Reclaim Campus Life"

January 10, 2022

Kohei Itoh, President, Keio University

Happy New Year. I am delighted that we are able to hold the Commemorative Ceremony for the Birth of Yukichi Fukuzawa today, even as the COVID-19 pandemic is once again spreading. We are honored to have Mr. Takeshi Fukuzawa representing the Fukuzawa family, and Mr. Hiromichi Iwasawa, Chairman of the Board of Councillors, representing the Keio University alumni, to give their greetings. We are also pleased to have Mr. Naoaki Hiraishi as our commemorative lecturer. Thank you all for taking the time out of your busy schedules to be here.

Now, how did you enjoy the customary opening performance, the chorus of "Here Stands Yukichi Fukuzawa" by the Yochisha Elementary School students? The Yochisha students selected for this performance have practiced many times to stand on this stage today. And this practice is also a way of reciting the deeds and thoughts of Yukichi Fukuzawa. In doing so, they must have absorbed the spirit of Keio University. I can say this with certainty because about 45 years ago, when I was a Yochisha student, I stood on this stage and sang that very song. I vividly remember thinking at that time, "This is a world of equality and freedom, so I must become a person of independence and self-respect," "I must help build a Japan that can hold its own in the world," and "The light of Western learning must not be extinguished. That means I have to study English and go out into the world."

Then, just about two years ago, around the time COVID-19 arrived in Japan, the fourth verse of "Here Stands Yukichi Fukuzawa" began to echo repeatedly in my mind.

"Shiba and Ueno are eight kilometers apart. Even if there is a battle in Ueno, Shiba-Shinzenza is another world. The roar of cannons may be heard, but the bullets will not reach us. We will conduct our classes as usual."

I wondered, "Can we really conduct classes as usual?" At that time, Keio University quickly prepared for online classes, and thanks to the hard work of our faculty, staff, and students, we were able to continue classes online. However, having tried them myself, I find that there is something about online classes that just doesn't feel right.

For the record, I have been using online classes extensively since before the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2011, 11 years ago, when the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred, I launched the Keio University YouTube Channel. My talk today, as well as the entrance and graduation ceremonies, are streamed on the Keio University YouTube Channel, but back then, YouTube only allowed videos of up to 10 minutes.

Students asked me, "Are you going to post classes here?" but I decided to give it a try. I had someone film my classes, and I progressively released them as videos. Furthermore, I recorded myself alone in my room explaining homework, tests, and difficult parts of the lectures, and released these as videos.

However, when the pandemic hit and I had to conduct actual 90-minute classes online, I just couldn't get into the swing of it. Meanwhile, younger faculty members were using the latest technology to create one wonderful online class after another. Then, a while after the pandemic began, we conducted a university-wide survey. First-year students said they wanted in-person classes and wanted to come to campus, but the more senior the students, the more of them preferred online classes. This left me quite perplexed. "The students want online classes, so why am I not satisfied with them?" I wondered. As a result, one of my specific work goals for the New Year exactly one year ago became "to improve my online teaching skills."

So, to get a fresh start, I decided to first review the memorable classes I took as a student. The first one that came to mind was Professor Yuji Ito's mathematics class in my first year at the Faculty of Science and Technology. Without any notes, he would rapidly write formulas on the blackboard. No one could keep up with their note-taking. And he would prove one formula after another. Before we knew it, he was proving that "x × 0 = 0." Isn't it obvious that any number multiplied by zero is zero? Watching him prove it so beautifully, we first-year students were astonished, thinking, "So this is how mathematicians think." And many of our peers went on to pursue mathematics.

Also in my first year, I took a geography class with Professor Isao Takagi. Although it was a general education course, he unraveled the mysteries of topography one after another, teaching us from a researcher's perspective. It was incredibly powerful. For the final report, he told us to choose any topic we liked, so I remember walking all the slopes in Minato Ward, drawing the contour lines myself, and writing a report to solve the mystery of how this topography was formed, putting a great deal of effort into it, in fact, at the expense of my required courses.

So, later, when the idol group Nogizaka46 emerged, the topography immediately came to mind, and I thought, "Isn't that the Nogizaka slope?" "Keyakizaka? Isn't that the one?" When Hinatazaka46 appeared recently, I thought, "There's no such slope," but looking at the characters, I realized it must be referring to Hyugazaka, which runs from Ninohashi to the Tsunamachi Mitsui Club. Then I'd find myself laughing alone, thinking to myself, "I wonder if Aoki-zaka46 will be next, then Yurei-zaka46, or Hebi-zaka46?"

One last example: the statistical mechanics class I took at Yagami Campus in my third year was also amazing. An elderly professor was writing on the blackboard in a small, barely audible voice, with handwriting that looked like a crawling worm. But it was incredibly powerful. The entire classroom was drawn in. He must be saying something profound. I later found out that he was Professor Ryogo Kubo, one of Japan's leading physicists. I believe he was a professor who deserved the Nobel Prize in Physics.

When I think about it this way, the answer is clear. Classes are, after all, live events. The foundation is what Yukichi Fukuzawa called "supiichi," or public speaking. As I was just discussing with Professor Hiraishi, public speaking conveys something intrinsic—something you cannot grasp just by reading—through the atmosphere of the venue and the professor's actual words.

It is often said that online is sufficient for large lecture classes because the teacher just talks one-way, but that's not true. The rakugo master Kosanji Yanagiya, a Living National Treasure who passed away last October, toured the country and continued to perform live until five days before his death, even during the COVID-19 pandemic, and his journey was followed by NHK cameras. At the yose theater, it may seem that Master Kosanji is performing one-sidedly, but that is not the case. The venue becomes one, a unique rapport is established between Master Kosanji and the audience, and the audience is swept up in a whirlwind of laughter and emotion.

I couldn't help but be impressed when Master Kosanji finally turned to the NHK cameraman and declared, "You've been following me all this time, so you must have figured it out. I'm just living." As a reminder to myself as well, I thought that we faculty members should also continue to stand in our classrooms as usual, inspire our students with the excitement of learning, and perhaps one day be able to say, "I'm just living" (laughs). And it is in the setting of these classes that students who learn together become lifelong friends. That, I believe, is what a university, an institution of higher education, is all about.

The spring semester, starting this April. At Keio University, 90% of classes are scheduled to be held in person. This is not the result of a policy set by me or the executive board. It is the conclusion reached after numerous meetings among faculty representatives from all undergraduate faculties. To realize the wishes of these faculty members, we, the executive board, implemented workplace vaccinations for approximately 50,000 people last year, and this spring, we will again conduct workplace vaccinations at Keio University for the third dose.

We have also established a system where faculty, staff, and Keio students who wish to can receive free PCR tests at any time. Furthermore, we have scientifically investigated the ventilation status of classrooms, are reinforcing ventilation equipment in poorly ventilated rooms, and are also preparing to ensure safety by installing CO ₂ monitors even in well-ventilated classrooms.

The students also did their part. Thanks in part to the fact that student clubs and the Athletic Association continued their activities with great care, the number of infected individuals at Keio University decreased even during the fifth wave of infections that hit during the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games last summer. In other words, the fifth wave did not come to Keio University. During this time, our affiliated schools also worked hard to continue their classes.

This New Year, Keio Academy of New York (High School) is facing a serious situation with the spread of infections. On January 4, Vice-President Tsuchiya, who is in charge of the Academy, rushed to New York and encouraged the faculty there, conveying the Keio spirit and emphasizing that Keio values not only online but also in-person classes.

As we announced on the Keio University website last week, it is unfortunate that a cluster occurred in one of the university's Athletic Association clubs at the end of the year. However, even while public health centers were closed, the Health Center, the School of Medicine, the University Hospital, faculty and staff, and even some members of the executive board gave up their New Year's holidays to identify close contacts, conduct PCR tests on all club members, and work to prevent the spread of infection. We are making every effort not to cause trouble for society and to reclaim campus life.

When we say 90% of classes will be in person, it is often misunderstood as simply a return to the old ways, but I want to state clearly here that this is not the case. Many of these in-person classes will pioneer a new era of teaching by utilizing cutting-edge online tools in various ways, while still valuing the live experience. I myself am looking forward to conducting in-person classes starting this spring. In these classes, I intend to skillfully incorporate online tools to accommodate students who are unable to come to campus due to COVID-19. And I hope to make Keio students feel that "live classes really are different."

Why is online alone not enough? Yukichi Fukuzawa wrote the following in "Gakumon no susume (An Encouragement of Learning)" (Part Nine):

"The broader the association, the more harmonious human feelings become, and gaining authority through the theory of international public law, one does not rashly start a war."

I believe this refers to diplomacy, meaning that if there is solid dialogue between people, war cannot be started so easily. Especially now, in the cyber age, it has become possible to wage war as if it were a game, flying drones from a safe location to kill and injure the enemy. In such a situation, unlike in actual wars of the past, there is a danger that human society could head in a perilous direction and meet its end, without even the sensation of killing another person. Also, there are many cases today of people slandering others online. Here too, if people were to meet in person, they might intuitively understand things differently, but instead, they engage in one-sided slander, leading to social division.

This idea of valuing association among strangers is what Yukichi Fukuzawa called jinkan kosai, which he said is the essence of learning. That is precisely why I believe we must correctly promote the use of both live and online formats.

For two years in a row, the cover of the "Keio Calendar," published annually by Keio University Press, has featured a picture of a school classroom from the past. This calendar, which we are proud of, features monthly images of art and rare books owned by Keio. The supervising Professor Emeritus, former Dean of the Faculty of Letters, and former Vice-President, Takeshi Sekiba, wrote the following in his commentary on the cover: "A school, in the first place, is a place where flesh-and-blood students, faculty, and staff meet face-to-face daily and, through campus life including studies and club activities, learn not only knowledge but also how to interact with others." In this way, he is scolding and encouraging us, the younger generation of faculty. Rest assured, the younger faculty understand this well.

However, no matter how much the faculty may desire in-person classes, if the infection situation worsens, we, the executive board, will have no choice but to restrict them, prioritizing safety above all. Even at today's event, the second piece, "Nihon no Hokori" (The Pride of Japan), which was scheduled to be performed by the Wagner Society Male Voice Choir and Orchestra, was replaced by a recording.

Today is New Year's on the calendar, but for a school, New Year's Day is April 1. The entrance ceremony that marks this start is held at the Hiyoshi Commemorative Hall. As new students, their hearts filled with anticipation and hope, fill the vast floor, just as the ceremony is about to begin, the Wagner Society Orchestra annually performs the overture to Wagner's opera "Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg."

It is an overture that heralds the arrival of the new year, like the bells of dawn. Every year, listening to this live performance by the Wagner Society, I have renewed my sense of responsibility as a faculty member, thinking, "The year is finally beginning, the new students are here." For the past two years, we have not been able to hear a live performance by the Wagner Society due to COVID-19, but hoping that this will be the year, I often listen to a recording of "Die Meistersinger" and pray, "May we be able to hear this piece on April 1."

Now, this has been my first New Year's address as President. In view of the COVID-19 pandemic and to keep it brief, I have deliberately omitted the usual formal reports and resolutions, focusing solely on the state of university classes. For details on the Juku's activities and achievements last year, as well as our aspirations for the future, please read the " Notes from the President's Office " on the Keio University website, which we started last year. The January issue will be posted soon.

In it, I have written that my goal for this year is to become an "intrapreneur of Keio University" together with my fellow members of Keio University gathered here in this hall. Intrapreneur may be an unfamiliar word. In contrast to entrepreneurs, who start businesses and change society, intrapreneurs are people who belong to an organization and start new ventures from within, changing it from the inside.

Of course, at Keio University, we will also promote entrepreneurship, that is, startup education, but at the same time, I believe that intrapreneurship is also important in Japanese companies and organizations. In fact, the story does not end here; it continues from intrapreneur to "interpreneur," and further to jinkan kosai. I hope you will read the rest in the " Notes from the President's Office ." I look forward to your continued support this year.

(This article is based on the New Year's address given by President Itoh at the 187th Commemorative Ceremony for the Birth of Yukichi Fukuzawa held on January 10, 2022.)