New Year's Address at the 189th Yukichi Fukuzawa Birthday Commemoration Ceremony"A Year of Leaps and Bounds with a Team of Independence and Self-Respect"

January 10, 2024

Kohei Itoh, President, Keio University

Happy New Year. We are joined today at the Yukichi Fukuzawa Birthday Commemoration Ceremony by Mr. Hiroyuki Fukuzawa, representing the Fukuzawa family; Mr. Hiromichi Iwasa, Chairman of the Board of Councillors, representing the Keio University alumni; and Mr. Hiroshi Aramata, our commemorative lecturer, who published "Fukuō Muchūden" from Hayakawa Shobo last December. Thank you all for being here.

This year's New Year began with the Noto Peninsula Earthquake. Thirteen years ago, on March 11, 2011, I happened to be in Sendai at the invitation of Tohoku University, where I experienced the Great East Japan Earthquake and witnessed firsthand the hardships of the local people without electricity, gas, or water. It was cold even in Sendai in March, so the cold in the Hokuriku region in January without electricity and gas is unimaginable, and my heart aches for them. Then, on the 2nd, members of the Japan Coast Guard on their way to provide relief were tragically killed in an accident at Haneda Airport. I cannot help but feel the utmost respect for those engaged in rescue activities in the cold, amid continuing aftershocks.

The Self-Defense Forces are also playing a major role. The Administrative Vice-Minister of Defense, Mr. Kazuo Masuda, is a Keio University alumnus who graduated from the Faculty of Law and was a member of the Keio University Cheerleading Team. Having moved from cheering for Keio University to becoming one of the cheerleaders for all of Japan, he is now working for the good of our country. Additionally, Mr. Munekazu Tachibana, an Executive Officer and Senior Vice President of Flight Operations at Japan Airlines, is also a Keio University alumnus and a close friend of mine from the tennis club. I am keenly aware that the survival of all passengers and crew from the JAL aircraft that caught fire in the accident is a testament to their tireless efforts. When we think of disaster relief donations, we think of the Japanese Red Cross Society. I am very reassured that former President Atsushi Seike, who has taken the time out of his busy schedule to join us today, is leading the charge as its President. I, too, have already made a donation.

As for Keio University's response, the university has used its system to confirm the safety of our students. We have promptly informed affected Keio students of special measures allowing them not to force themselves to come to the university, prioritizing their safety. We also informed them that they can apply for financial support and that counseling services for mental health care are available. I have also been in contact with Mr. Mitsuru Mitani, a member of the Board of Councillors who is with us today, from the Ishikawa Mita-kai. Fortunately, it seems that all his acquaintances are safe, but I have heard that the situation in Ishikawa Prefecture and the surrounding areas is dire.

Furthermore, for prospective students aiming to enroll this April, we have announced special measures to waive the entrance examination fees, admission fees, and tuition for those who lost a guarantor or whose homes were completely or partially destroyed by natural disasters, including the Noto Peninsula Earthquake, during the 2023 academic year. We have also confirmed that each of our affiliated schools is responding appropriately.

Under these circumstances, Keio University would like to make three requests to all of you. The first is a request for donations to provide financial assistance to affected Keio students and prospective students. We have already begun soliciting donations on the Office of Fund Raising website. Donations can be easily made via credit card or internet banking and are eligible for tax deductions. The second is a request for donations to a relief fund that Keio University will establish independently. The Keio Gijuku Shachu will cooperate to support the recovery of the affected areas. We have arranged for transfers to Keio University's designated account to be tax-deductible for donors, and we plan to deliver the entire amount collected to the Japanese Red Cross Society. The third, which we will request through the Mita-kai, is support for the affected areas through the provision of relief supplies. Full details of these initiatives will be posted on the Keio University website. We appreciate your cooperation.

While Japan's New Year began with a natural disaster, the world has seen the war between Ukraine and Russia continue for nearly two years, and since last October, the armed conflict between Israel and Hamas has begun and is expanding. These are undeniably man-made disasters, accompanied by intense resentment, where the concept of international law is rendered powerless. The world is facing a situation where the balance of global peace is being severely undermined as nations rush to build up their armaments due to the ripple effects. In this context, how should Keio University think and act?

I believe that what Yukichi Fukuzawa valued most throughout his life was "independence." As his saying "the independence of the individual leads to the independence of the nation" suggests, it means that instead of leaving all decisions solely to the state, each individual should pursue learning, think for themselves, and the combination of these efforts leads to the independence of the family, the community, and the nation. Yukichi Fukuzawa taught that if a nation is independent in this way, it is as precious as oneself or one's family, and therefore, it is the duty of the people to defend the country with their lives if its sovereignty is violated by another nation. The important thing is not a one-way, top-down approach where the people serve according to the nation's policies, but a two-way dialogue. What becomes crucial here is the creation of a system that connects individual independence to national independence.

In "An Outline of a Theory of Civilization," Yukichi Fukuzawa points out that even if individuals are outstanding, their collective strength will not materialize unless they cooperate constructively. However, he calmly analyzes that in Japan, the authorities have traditionally not allowed the common people to form factions, and that hierarchical relationships and power imbalances exist, such as between seniors and juniors, men and women, newcomers and old-timers, and main and branch families. On that basis, he preaches the importance of the middle class rising up and cooperating to overcome such hierarchical relationships and power imbalances.

The middle class refers to those who do not possess significant power, assets, or vested interests. He argues that the cooperation of those among them who possess particular intellectual prowess is the path for the populace to become a true nation and the path to national independence. Guiding society toward the right path of independence through constructive, multifaceted debate, and increasing the number of comrades who do so—this, I believe, is the true meaning behind Yukichi Fukuzawa's translation of the English word "society" as "jinkan kosai (society)." There has never been a time when constructive teamwork is more demanded of us at Keio University.

Looking back at Keio University in 2023, teamwork was demonstrated in various areas. The victory of the Keio Senior High School baseball team at the Koshien tournament, and the university baseball team's victories in the Tokyo Big6 Autumn League and the Meiji Jingu Baseball Tournament (making them Japan's champions) generated tremendous excitement. Furthermore, at the university level, the men's tennis club, the men's and women's automobile club, the women's water Ski Team, and the aviation club became national university champions as teams. Individually, many athletes are competing at the world level, and our affiliated schools have also achieved various successes.

Last year, many opinion leaders also visited Keio University and engaged in dialogue with our Keio students. Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), quoted Prime Minister Kishida's words, "Ukraine today may be East Asia tomorrow," and stressed the importance of cooperation among like-minded countries to maintain the independence of sovereign nations and of humanitarian aid to the Ukrainian people. On the other hand, Csaba Kőrösi, President of the UN General Assembly, who was instrumental in leading the unanimous adoption of the SDGs by the UN General Assembly nine years ago, shared a sense of urgency and the current reality that mere improvement is no longer enough to achieve the 2030 goals, especially regarding the prevention of global warming, and that major transformation is necessary. He argued that in this context, national borders—that is, national security—are an obstacle, and that planetary and human security are what is important. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stated forcefully that cooperation between Japan and South Korea is extremely important, and that to this end, rather than asking something of Japan, he first considered what South Korea could do, and for that reason, he visited Japan and Keio University. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, emphasized that there is no more exciting position to be in than that of the young people of today, who can master the next dimension of AI.

In addition, lectures were held by Antoinette Monsio Sayeh, Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and various ambassadors to Japan, and a concert by world-renowned pianist Martha Argerich was also held at the Mita Campus. Furthermore, countless other academic and cultural lectures and seminars, too numerous to mention here, were held on various campuses. This truly marks the arrival of the post-COVID era.

So, why do the world's opinion leaders choose to visit Keio University? It is because Keio University is home to scholars whom they respect and wish to visit. And it is because those scholars are demonstrating the teamwork needed to transform society right now.

The lecture by the NATO Secretary General was hosted by the Keio Center for Strategy, a university think tank for strategic studies and international affairs analysis established last year. The lecture by the President of the UN General Assembly was hosted by the xSDG Consortium at SFC, and Keio University as a whole will soon launch "Keio STAR," a new center to conduct research and take action on sustainability, including the SDGs. Hosting the CEO of OpenAI led to the establishment of the "Keio University Generative AI Lab" at the end of last year. This involves securing a large space in the Kyoseikan Collaboration Complex at the entrance of the Hiyoshi Campus, where Keio students, Keio AI researchers, and leading AI companies will work together on AI utilization and development. I am sincerely grateful to my colleagues for the timely creation of these venues for constructive, multifaceted debate on security, sustainability, and AI, and for transforming society through teamwork.

From the perspective of discussions aimed at transforming society, the "Keio University Student Conference," in which Keio students discuss Keio University's vision, goals, and targets for achieving the SDGs, compile proposals, and submit them to the President, began the year before last. The proposals from the first cohort were submitted to me at the beginning of last year, and those from the second cohort at the end of last year. The Keio University Student Conference holds a summer camp that includes students from our affiliated schools, and the most recent proposals include contributions from these students.

Some of the proposals from the first cohort, such as "introducing renewable energy" and "reducing waste," have been newly added to Keio University's medium-term plan. In addition, the earnest wishes of Keio students regarding the current state of Keio University and the future of society were submitted on a wide range of topics, including Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I). Some of the proposals have been turned into projects, and the Keio students are developing activities with good teamwork to realize them.

At Keio University as a whole, we hosted the U7+ Alliance Presidential Summit at the Mita Campus last March. Presidents and vice-presidents from many of the 51 member universities, mainly from G7 countries, gathered and were able to compile a set of recommendations on education for the G7 Hiroshima Summit, which we issued as the "Tokyo Statement." We delivered the Tokyo Statement to Prime Minister Kishida, the chair of the G7 Hiroshima Summit, and its content was reflected in the education section of the G7 Communiqué (final report). We are also promoting cooperation with the world so that we can serve as an example for our Keio students, even in a small way.

There has also been significant progress in our research projects. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) has been operating the World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI) and the Program on Open Innovation Platform for Industry-Academia Co-creation (COI-NEXT) as the two pillars of its competitive large-scale research projects. As I reported at this gathering last year, we became the first private university to be selected for the former, the WPI program, with Professor Kenya Honda of the School of Medicine as the principal investigator. This is a truly challenging program aimed at understanding the interaction between bacteria essential for human life, such as intestinal bacteria, and various organs, and linking this to healthy longevity. The School of Medicine, along with the Faculty of Pharmacy, the Faculty of Science and Technology, and the Faculty of Letters, will collaborate to form this world-premier research center.

Regarding the latter, the full-scale COI-NEXT program, in addition to the previously selected project led by Professor Masaya Nakamura of the School of Medicine, a project for the thorough reduction of waste in Kamakura City, led by Professor Hiroya Tanaka of the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, was selected last year. Keio University is the only private university to have a WPI center. Keio University and the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) are the only private universities to have a full-scale project of this kind, and Keio University is the only one to have two.

The primary purpose of securing these large-scale projects is to establish a system of collaboration that transcends the boundaries of research fields, faculties, and campuses, and, as Yukichi Fukuzawa said, to form teams that connect the strengths of individuals to lead social transformation. The next step, then, is to expand collaboration among Keio University's renowned researchers in the humanities and social sciences, and to link these activities to collaborations with the science and technology and medical fields. Last year, a wonderful ukiyo-e exhibition ("Sasuga! Hokusai, Yaruna!! Kuniyoshi"—The Materiality of Ukiyo-e) featuring the Sei'ichiro Takahashi Collection was held at the Keio Museum Commons (KeMCo), attracting many visitors. The person who guided me at that time was Professor Masato Naito of the Faculty of Letters, a leading authority on ukiyo-e research who has also received the International Ukiyo-e Society Award. His explanations were truly profound and fascinating! It was very impressive.

Last year, outstanding researchers from Keio University also received the Fukuzawa Award and the Keio Award, and many of them were truly fascinating researchers in the humanities and social sciences. Wishing to shape the image of a distinctive research university befitting Keio University by highlighting such researchers, we applied for the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science's "Program for Promoting the Enhancement of Research Universities" in the middle of last year and were selected at the end of the year. This program was launched by MEXT as a new flagship initiative and runs in parallel with the support for "Universities for International Research Excellence" through the government's university fund. In addition to being tested on our ability to propose policies that lead to social transformation, the construction of economic and social systems, and the ideal form of international cooperation and diplomacy from Keio University, we will also strengthen research and dissemination related to the literary arts for leading a rich and peaceful life.

Article 21 of Keio University's "Shūshin Yōryō: Fukuzawa's Moral Code," established in 1900, states: "An appreciation of the literary arts elevates a person's character and delights the spirit. When magnified, it helps the peace of society and increases the happiness of human life. Therefore, it should be known that this, too, is one of the essential duties of a human being." Keio University intends to cherish this tradition.

Yukichi Fukuzawa also valued economic independence. Fulfilling one's professional duties as an individual to become economically independent was the baseline; he went further by promoting the development of entrepreneurs. This means creating new industries to pursue not only individual profit but also the interests of society as a whole, thereby achieving national independence. In modern terms, this means promoting startups and elevating them into established businesses.

In 2015, Keio University launched the venture capital firm Keio Innovation Initiative (KII). It is already managing a 4.5 billion yen Fund I and a 10.3 billion yen Fund II. The fact that it raised 20 billion yen for its Fund III at the end of last year was widely reported in the Nikkei. The world is astonished that a university-launched venture capital firm has raised such a large amount of funds, primarily from the private sector.

In addition, we established a Startup Division within the university two years ago and have been focusing on nurturing entrepreneurs from Keio. As a result of the combination of the venture capital firm and the Startup Division, the total amount of funding raised by Keio-launched startups is now the highest among all universities in Japan, and the number of venture companies and startups ranked third in the nation last fiscal year. This is a significant leap, considering we were 11th three fiscal years ago and 5th two fiscal years ago.

In the field of medicine, Keio University Hospital serves as the last bastion for patients with intractable diseases, and it was able to fully fulfill this responsibility again last year. Furthermore, last fall, we relocated and opened the Center for Preventive Medicine from the Shinanomachi Campus to Azabudai Hills. We have introduced advanced medical equipment, established a system to provide literally world-class comprehensive medical checkups, and will link these services to Keio University Hospital. Please look forward to the further development and internationalization of Keio's medical services.

Our affiliated schools have also finally entered the post-COVID era and, for the first time in four years, have been able to return to almost normal activities. At the elementary, junior high, and senior high school levels, the educational role played by school lunches, cafeterias, events like sports days and music festivals, off-campus activities, overnight trips, and club activities, in addition to classroom lessons, is particularly significant. It is truly gratifying that we were able to restore most of these to their pre-COVID state. Viewed from another perspective, the efforts of the faculty and staff of our affiliated schools during the three and a half years of the COVID-19 pandemic, when such comprehensive activities were restricted, were tremendous, and I am deeply grateful. Last year also marked the 125th anniversary of the establishment of our integrated education system. In conjunction with this, the 125th-anniversary ceremony of the Keio Futsubu School was held, and the Keio Yokohama Elementary School held a ceremony to commemorate its 10th anniversary. This year, a ceremony will be held to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Keio Shiki Senior High School and the 150th anniversary of Keio Yochisha Elementary School.

Last year, we once again received support for the Juku from a great many people. Through the Furusato Nozei (Hometown Tax) donation system, we received applications totaling over 280 million yen from more than 1,000 individuals in the year leading up to the end of last year. We have also received many regular donations, and it is now conceivable that the total amount of donations for this fiscal year will approach 10% of our total school operating expenses. While the funds to operate the school under our current policies can be secured through tuition and fees from our Keio students, additional financial resources from your support are absolutely necessary for the construction of new school buildings and the renovation of old ones, the establishment of new centers that meet the demands of the times as mentioned earlier, the project implementation of proposals from the Keio University Student Conference, the development of a new educational system utilizing online, cloud, and AI technologies, the thorough implementation of barrier-free access and disaster countermeasures, and support for affected Keio students and prospective students, including those affected by the Noto Peninsula Earthquake. We ask for your continued support for our Keio students.

The above is a summary of last year's achievements. All of these accomplishments are the result of the efforts of the responsible Vice-Presidents and related faculty and staff. The contributions of Keio University alumni and members of the Mita-kai to the Juku's operations and donations have been truly significant, and I am simply grateful every day to be blessed with such wonderful colleagues in the Keio Gijuku Shachu.

Now, for this year, 2024, I want to make it a year of thorough discussion about Keio University's next leap forward. As stated in the conclusion of "The Mission of Keio University"—"Its mission is not only to articulate the principles that should guide the home, society, and the nation, but also to apply them in practice and to be a source of courage and a leader of society"—the Keio Gijuku Shachu must unite to provide a guiding light for the development of Japan and the world. To achieve this, teamwork among our scholars is essential. It is also important to develop an unparalleled educational system for our Keio students. In essence, the hallmark of Keio University is to move forward brightly with evidence-based optimism. We will also advance discussions based on high aspirations regarding research, medical care, and internationalization. We ask for the continued support for Keio University not only from the Keio Gijuku Shachu but also from the general public.

I will conclude my New Year's address with the sincere hope that this year, 2024, will be a good year for all of you and for the world. Thank you for your continued support this year.

(This text is based on the New Year's address given by President Itoh at the 189th Yukichi Fukuzawa Birthday Commemoration Ceremony held on January 10, 2024.)