New Year's Address at the 188th Commemorative Ceremony for the Birth of Yukichi FukuzawaToward a Keio University that Provides "Unparalleled Leadership Education"

January 10, 2023

Kohei Itoh, President, Keio University

Happy New Year, everyone. I am very pleased that we are able to hold the Commemorative Ceremony for the Birth of Yukichi Fukuzawa today. At this ceremony, we will hear addresses from Mr. Katsuo Fukuzawa, representing the Fukuzawa family, and Mr. Hiromichi Iwasa, Chairman of the Board of Councillors, representing the Keio University alumni. We are also joined by Dr. Yuko Takahashi, President of Tsuda University, as our commemorative speaker. Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to be here.

Now, what kind of year was last year for all of you? Of course, everyone's impressions will differ, but I think what we can all agree on globally is that it was a year of major incidents. On February 24, the unbelievable news of Russia's invasion of Ukraine broke. Russia, unable to remove President Putin even as the invasion of Ukraine becomes a quagmire. A world terrified by Russia's nuclear threat. Over the past year, what I, as someone working in an educational institution, have continued to feel is most critical are the revivalist ideas such as former President Trump's "Make America Great Again" and President Putin's revival of Imperial Russia. The horror of people who are solely focused on hegemonism, who cannot feel a sense of responsibility for the future at a global level, and who cannot love their neighbors, remaining in positions of power. What is needed to confront this horror and change the future is precisely learning. This means that a modern version of jitsugaku (science) is what is needed.

Last year was a memorable one, marking the 150th anniversary of the publication of the first volume of "Gakumon no susume (An Encouragement of Learning)." At Keio University, we launched the "GAKUMON NO SUSUME" project, planning various lectures and events, which we intend to continue this year and next. At the Keio History Museum on the second floor of the Old University Library on Mita Campus, a special exhibition titled "Yukichi Fukuzawa and 'Non-Violence'—150 Years of Gakumon no susume" was held. We will also be releasing a series of videos on the official Keio University website that thoroughly discuss "Gakumon no susume (An Encouragement of Learning)." The first of these, a video featuring celebrity Sho Sakurai as a guest, is now available on the Keio University website, so please take a look. And please look forward to future videos. At the Keio Osaka City Campus, the Fukuzawa Memorial Center for Modern Japanese Studies is hosting a series of online lectures titled "'Gakumon no susume' 150th Anniversary," which are available for viewing. You can still sign up. Many newspapers and media outlets also featured special reports on "Gakumon no susume."

A question I was often asked through these events was, "What is your favorite part of 'Gakumon no susume (An Encouragement of Learning)'?" However, there is no question more difficult than this. As you know, the book "Gakumon no susume (An Encouragement of Learning)" showers us with lessons that resonate in our hearts, spanning across its various volumes. But if I were to choose two passages on this particular occasion, the first would be the following sentence from the beginning of Volume 10.

"A person should not be satisfied with merely providing food and clothing for oneself and one's family. Human nature has a higher promise than this. One must enter into the fellowship of jinkan kosai (society) and, as a member of that fellowship, strive for the good of the world."

My own interpretation would be: "Do not be satisfied with merely fulfilling your own life and desires, such as providing for your food, clothing, and shelter. Human nature has a more sublime promise than this. Join the global community, and as a member of that community, make full use of your position to contribute to the development of the world."

The second passage I would choose is from Volume 5.

"In all worldly matters, those who do not advance will surely retreat, and those who do not retreat will surely advance. It is a principle that there can be no one who neither advances nor retreats but remains stagnant."

he preaches. And what is necessary to advance is the ability and character to constantly continue learning and cooperate with one's peers. To reiterate, the first is the high aspiration to contribute to the development of the world as a global citizen, and to fulfill the promise with heaven as a leader together with one's peers. The second is that if you do not move forward, you will surely fall back, so it is necessary to make constant efforts to keep moving forward, to keep learning, and to devote oneself to scholarship.

Now, I would like to take a moment to look back at Keio University's past year. I will speak about Keio University's three core missions: "education," "research," and "medical care," in that order.

The major theme last year for education, the first pillar, was the development of a learning environment with an eye toward the post-COVID era. "Never stop learning"—it was truly the development of a place to practice the principles of "Gakumon no susume." At the university, over 90% of classes were held in person starting from the spring semester in April. What is truly encouraging is that this was not a guideline set by us in the administration, but a conclusion reached after representatives from all faculties gathered and held numerous meetings. I believe this shows the true spirit of our faculty.

At our affiliated schools as well, as the song by the Yochisha and Elementary School students just now went, we strove to "conduct classes as usual," and were able to resume extracurricular activities such as excursions and overnight school trips. I believe the greatest achievement is not simply returning to the pre-COVID era, but that everyone has begun to devise ways to incorporate online methods into an education that was once reset. The daily activities of the Athletic Association and official student clubs (so-called "circles"), which are important extracurricular activities at the university, were also greatly revitalized. At school festivals such as the Tanabata Festival at SFC, the Yagami Festival at the Faculty of Science and Technology, and the Mita Festival here at Mita, the number of visitors was somewhat restricted, but at least at the Mita Festival that I attended, food stalls were back, and it was bustling with crowds of people. However, the Shiba-Kyoritsu Festival and the Yotsuya Festival, which are centered on aspiring pharmacists, doctors, and nurses who interact with patients, opted for an online format, which I believe was a natural decision for those in responsible positions.

And last year, we were also able to start a new learning initiative: the "2022 Keio University Student Conference." About 80 Keio students, mainly first- and second-year students, selected from all undergraduate faculties, gather regularly. The Keio University Student Conference is the place to cultivate the high aspiration described in "Gakumon no susume (An Encouragement of Learning)" to contribute to the development of the world as a global citizen, and to fulfill the promise with heaven as leaders together with their peers. The member students consult and put together proposals for projects that we at Keio University should undertake for the sound and peaceful development of not only Keio University, but also Japan and the world.

As a faculty organization, the Research and Education Center for Natural Sciences at Hiyoshi took charge, and recruitment for student members began last April. About half of the approximately 80 members were self-nominated, while the other half were Keio students randomly requested by Keio University to ensure balance. Study sessions began in June, and in the fall semester, the members formed groups freely to work on compiling various proposals. Tomorrow, on January 11, an event will be held where over 30 proposals from the Keio students will be submitted to me, the President. I am very much looking forward to receiving the proposals tomorrow.

As part of this Keio University Student Conference, a summer camp was also held during the summer vacation, bringing together students from our affiliated schools, from elementary to high school, and university students at the Hiyoshi Campus. Students from the 5th grade of Yochisha (the Keio-affiliated elementary school) and Keio Yokohama Elementary School up to university students came together to discuss and propose directions that Keio University should take for each of the 17 SDGs. The realization of this unique learning opportunity, a place for learning while teaching, teaching while learning, connecting students from elementary school to university, which had been difficult to achieve until now, is something I hope will become a model case for our integrated education system in the future.

Last year was also a milestone year for several of our affiliated schools. In April, Keio Shonan Fujisawa Junior and Senior High School held its 30th anniversary ceremony, and in November, Chutobu Junior High School held its 75th anniversary ceremony. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of Keio Shiki Senior High School and the 125th anniversary of Keio Futsubu School. At each of these milestones, I reviewed the philosophy and history of each school, and was touched by the high ideals and goals full of foresight of those involved in their founding, as well as the efforts of the faculty, staff, students, and alumni who have supported their development from their establishment to the present day. Together with all concerned, I renewed our sense of responsibility for the future of our affiliated schools.

The second pillar of Keio University's three core missions is "research." The most visible event last year was the successful selection of the "Human Biology-Microbiome-Quantum Computing Research Center (Bio2Q)," an application submitted jointly by the School of Medicine, led by Professor Kenya Honda, the Faculty of Pharmacy, the Faculty of Science and Technology, and others, for the World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI) of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. WPI is a program to create "globally visible research centers" that boast an excellent research environment and an extremely high level of research, attracting top-tier researchers from around the world to Keio University. Among the 17 centers selected so far, Keio University is the only private university.

Furthermore, the year before last, the "Center for Co-creation of Urban Health Commons to Realize Well-being by Connecting Everyone" led by Professor Masaya Nakamura of the School of Medicine was selected for the JST's Program on Open Innovation Platform with Enterprises, Research Institute and Academia (COI-NEXT), Co-creation Field, Full-scale Type. Here at Keio University, a project that fuses natural sciences and social sciences has been realized, involving not only the School of Medicine and the Faculty of Science and Technology, but also the Faculty of Law and the Graduate School of System Design and Management.

The primary purpose of acquiring such large-scale projects is to establish a system of collaboration that transcends the boundaries of faculties and campuses. Interdisciplinary collaboration can lead to the creation of unparalleled research outcomes. The next step is to expand collaboration among Keio University's esteemed researchers in the social sciences and humanities, and to link their activities with collaborations in the fields of science, technology, and medicine. The Keio University Global Research Institute (KGRI) will take on this activity starting this year. The appeal of Keio University's esteemed research in the social sciences and humanities will be communicated to you in a visible way, so please look forward to it.

The third pillar of Keio University's three core missions is "medical care." The School of Medicine celebrated its 100th anniversary six years ago in 2017, and the hospital celebrated its 100th anniversary three years ago in 2020. As projects commemorating these centennials, Hospital Building 1 opened five years ago in 2018, and last May we were able to complete the new main entrance of the university hospital. With this, the construction of Keio University Hospital, which had been planned for a full 10 years, was completed, and we were able to celebrate its "grand opening" last year. Furthermore, in the medical field, I am very proud that our hospital has steadfastly fulfilled its mission as the last bastion for patients and their families through the efforts of all our staff, amidst the continuing difficult situation of responding to COVID-19.

Last year, we were also able to resume international exchange. I myself made six overseas trips and held numerous discussions with universities, research institutions, and industries around the world. The details are as described in the back issues of our essay series "Notes from the President's Office," published on the Keio University website, but I would also like to announce that this March, the U7+ Alliance of World Universities Presidential Summit will be held here at the Mita Campus. The G7 Summit will be held in Hiroshima this May, and this is a related event. The U7+ is, in short, a summit of presidents from 51 member universities in over 20 countries, centered on the G7. The "U" in U7+ Alliance stands for University.

The presidents and executives of 51 of the world's leading universities will gather here at the Mita Campus to formally submit an agenda from academia to the G7 Summit. From Japan, the University of Tokyo, Osaka University, Hitotsubashi University, and Keio University are participating. We are all looking forward to this presidential summit being held at Keio University in conjunction with Japan's hosting of the G7. Also, in the New Year's dialogue in the January issue of "Mita-hyoron (official monthly journal published by Keio University Press)," I had a conversation about internationalization with Mr. Glen S. Fukushima, a Japanese-American who studied at Keio as an exchange student from Stanford University. I would be grateful if you would take the time to read it.

I would like to introduce one more activity from last year from the perspective of international contribution. To secure a place for Ukrainian students to learn, their right to learn, indeed a "place to continue their studies," we accepted four Ukrainians as graduate student candidates last September. These four will first devote themselves to research at Keio University as visiting international students, then take the entrance examination to enroll in Keio University's graduate school, aiming to obtain a master's degree over two years. Upon accepting these four students, we received generous donations from many people, including our Keio University alumni. I would like to express my sincere gratitude here.

That concludes my summary of last year. This year, I would like to make it a year of thorough discussion about the true leap forward for Keio University. 150 years ago, when "Gakumon no susume (An Encouragement of Learning)" was published, young people inspired by reading it came to Tokyo from all over Japan and knocked on the doors of Keio University. Now is the time to recreate this. Japan's lost 30 years. Keio University has certainly developed, but when asked if Keio University's development has led to avoiding Japan's lost 30 years and achieving further leaps, I must say that it has not yet had that much of an effect. This means that Keio University, as a leader, must move further forward.

As stated at the end of The Mission of Keio University, "to not only articulate the essence of family, self, and nation, but to apply it in practice and through personal example, to be a source of courage and inspiration to all of society," the Keio Gijuku Shachu must unite to provide guidance for the development of Japan and the world. To achieve this, it is urgent to establish an unparalleled educational system. In short, it means providing "unparalleled leadership education" at Keio University.

This also requires "unparalleled diversity and inclusion." In other words, we need to thoroughly discuss how to create an environment where everyone thinks, "I want to become a leader, I want to develop the ability to contribute to society, so I must study at Keio University." We need to create an educational curriculum for that purpose and prepare a situation where applicants who wish to enroll at Keio University gather not only from all over Japan but from all over the world. Only then can we truly practice the mission of Keio University: "to be a source of courage and inspiration to all of society."

To that end, what kind of person is a leader who will support the peaceful and sound development of global society for the next 10, 50, and 100 years? We must define them based on their qualities and leadership. We must persuasively demonstrate the need to nurture such leaders, create educational programs for that purpose, and create a place where people from all over Japan and the world want to come and learn at Keio University. This will be a major task for this year. And it is necessary to have similar discussions, in short, to create a grand design, not only in education but also in research and medical care. We ask for the continued support for Keio University not only from the Keio Gijuku Shachu but also from the general public.

In closing, I would like to conclude my New Year's address with my sincere hope that this year, 2023, will be a good year for all of you and for the world. I look forward to working with you all again this year.

(This article is based on the New Year's address given by President Itoh at the 188th Commemorative Ceremony for the Birth of Yukichi Fukuzawa held on January 10, 2023.)