Speech Text

Congratulations to all of you who are celebrating your graduation here today. My warm wishes go to all your family members as well. We at Keio University are thrilled to hold this graduation ceremony for you today at Hiyoshi Commemorative Hall, together with each of the undergraduate faculties. This is a truly momentous occasion for us all. What I mean is that many of you here enrolled at Keio in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic back in April 2021. For you, I am sure that applying to universities and taking exams brought no end of anxiety and difficulties. That is why we offer our sincerest commendation to all of you for your efforts and the support of your families that have made this day possible.

For this commencement ceremony, I would like to review the Mission of Keio University with you all. It reads as follows:

"Keio Gijuku is more than a mere place for academic pursuit. Its mission is to be a constant source of honorable character and a paragon of intellect and morals for the entire nation; and for each member to apply this spirit to elucidate the essence of family, society, and nation. They will not only articulate this essence in words, but also demonstrate it in their actions, and by doing so make Keio a leader of society."

These words express the reason every one of you has persevered in your studies, poured your heart into extracurricular activities, and developed lifelong friends at Keio University—namely, you aspire to become "leaders of all society." The word "gijuku" of Keio Gijuku is a translation of the British model of a "public school." This school is precisely that, a gathering place for students with high aspirations to improve the public sphere. Maintaining these ambitions and continuing to pursue your ideals is no easy matter. Every human being, no matter who they are, has value. This is precisely why the dreams and dignity of the individuals here are the most precious things in human society. This is the Keio spirit of independence and self-respect. Constructing a foundation based on the individual's existential value is the very definition of pursuing the values of democracy. When you hear the word "leader," you may imagine an individual in a special position of power. However, that is not how we think about things at Keio. Rather, the true leaders are groups of people in various contexts—family, work, society at large—who strive together as a team to move us in the right direction. Today I hope that all of you who are graduating today, no matter what job or role you will take up in the future, will fulfill your role in building a better society as leaders of independence and self-respect in your respective positions.

Independence and self-respect are built on the backbone of freedom. In the first installment of An Encouragement of Learning, Fukuzawa used the word "freedom" 14 times in a volume of about 4,700 Japanese characters, totaling only 12 pages. He begins with the statement, "Heaven, it is said, does not create one person above or below another." If that is the case, then everyone, "as long as we do not infringe upon the rights of others, may pass our days in happiness freely and independently." But in the real world, this is not the case. What accounts for this discrepancy? Fukuzawa contends that it is simply a difference in whether one learns or not. This means we must keep learning. Through your time at Keio University, you have developed the ability to learn for the rest of your lives. Studying hard in university is important, but even more important is to be lifelong learners. To make this possible, you need the skills, drive, and friend gained at Keio University. According to a recent article published in the Harvard Business Review, the average life span of a technological skill in the present day is five years. At the short end, it may be only two and a half years. This means that the skills you acquire become obsolete from two and a half to five years. Therefore, it is clear that you need the ability to continue learning in order to overcome any new challenges that you will face in your work. But why, you may ask, does it really matter to continue learning? The answer would be to gain freedom and independence as an individual. The aim is then to connect the freedom and independence of the individual to the freedom and independence of the nation and society as a whole. This is what Fukuzawa meant when he said, "National independence must follow from personal independence."

Let me give you a concrete example. I believe that many of you obtain a wide variety of information from social media. However, the information you get on social media is often biased, incorrect, or presents only one side of a story. If you allow that kind of information to dictate your thoughts and decisions, can we really say that you are enjoying your freedom? A couple of weeks ago, Keio University welcomed Yuval Noah Harari, the famed author of the book Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, to give a lecture. His recent book, Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI raises this problem: your activity when you engage with social media is plainly visible to those platforms. Your data is analyzed by AI, and subsequent information and advertisements are then selected and supplied to you based on your hobbies, political affiliation, religion, and more. You are fed only tailor-made, in other words biased, information. This naturally includes propaganda that seeks to manipulate your thinking. Therefore, even if you think you are freely making objective decisions, when you rely on information from social media, your thoughts and actions are actually being manipulated by outside forces. In An Encouragement of Learning, Fukuzawa describes the responsibility that comes with freedom as follows. "Many will become selfish and fall into dissipation if they assert only their own freedom and do not know their place... The borderline between freedom and selfishness lies at the point where one does or does not infringe upon the freedom of others." In other words, freedom is defined as the extent to which one does not negatively affect others. Propaganda and disinformation on social media are man-made and violate our freedom. Furthermore, even if that information is correct, if it presents only one side of an issue, it is malicious in that it restricts your freedom. That is why I want all of you to work hard to gather accurate information from a wide range of viewpoints, learn to examine it from multiple perspectives, engage in thoughtful discussions with your peers, and take part in activities that help guide society in a positive direction. One way to do this is to collect and read paid newspaper articles and books and temper your consumption of free information found on social media. They say there is no such thing as a free lunch. We must remain suspicious of the fact that information is available for free on social media.

Just as it is critical to protect our own freedom and independence, so too is it to protect the freedom and independence of others. This is the Keio spirit of independence and self-respect. In writing about the role of the government in An Encouragement of Learning, Fukuzawa explained that it "established laws, by which it controlled the wicked and protected the good." Protecting the good, along with defending them from the wicked, means guaranteeing the freedom of the people and helping (protecting) those truly in need. Now, however, in democracies around the world, the public has been making increasingly self-interested demands of politics. So, when a populist politician comes along and wins an election by boldly claiming that he can get rid of any grievance, we see situations where he puts only his own supporters first and takes away the freedom of those who disagree with him. Japan is still managing in this respect, but even then, it is difficult for the voices of the socially vulnerable, young people, and foreigners engaged in essential work to be heard by those in government. As such, we must make an effort to support their freedom. In his book Things Western, Fukuzawa writes about Europe and the United States in the mid-19th century, particularly hospitals, nursing homes, schools, and museums supported by donations. He gives an example of helping, both physically and mentally, those who have become unfairly trapped in precarious circumstances. Dr. Shibasaburo Kitasato had lost his place in Japan after returning from Germany after publishing research results that contradicted the thesis of his former mentor at the University of Tokyo while studying abroad. In this well-known story, Fukuzawa responded to this unfair situation by offering Dr. Kitasato his own land and private property. He even solicited private donations to start an infectious disease research center for Dr. Kitasato. Fukuzawa and other leaders from Keio have supported many other people who have fallen on difficult times, using their collective strength to support the vulnerable in society. In this way, as soon as you graduate and find yourself in a position to earn an income, I ask that you please start supporting non-profit organizations and public service corporations. Even if you can only contribute a small amount at first, consider it a mission of those with the privilege to make a difference. First, decide on a total amount of money to donate this year. Allocate this amount to NPOs supporting people in vulnerable positions who find it difficult to receive help, such as the poor, orphans, refugees, victims of natural disasters, NPOs supporting the arts and freedom of speech, and various educational institutions. Through this process, you will learn about the existence of various social issues and the excellent organizations and people who are working to solve them. Fukuzawa also said, "Support the country without depending on the country." As a member of Keio, these activities are a great learning experience and a social contribution in themselves.

Today, we have with us alumni from the 2000 Mita-kai, who graduated twenty-five years ago. Here in the Hiyoshi Commemorative Hall they stand together with all of us to celebrate the next chapter of your lives. These alumni embody the purpose of Keio University for all of you graduates today. Twenty-five years from now, all of you will also be invited to this graduation ceremony. When you return at that time, be proud that you have made Japan and the world a better place through your own efforts and your solidarity with one another over the next quarter century. And so, I finish this speech by asking you to please join us in celebrating the start of their twenty-five-year journey. Once again, congratulations on your graduation!