On Saturday, September 20, from 2:30 p.m., the 5th Anniversary Reunion for Keio Alumni ceremony was held at the West School Building Hall on the Mita Campus. The participants were graduates and alumni of the September 2019 Correspondence Courses and the 2020 Undergraduate and Correspondence Courses (Keio University alumni), and a total of over 1,000 Keio University alumni gathered at the Mita Campus on the day. Due to the large number of participants, those who could not enter the West School Building Hall watched the ceremony from inside Room 519 of the West School Building.
The ceremony began with the Rendition of Alma Mater "The Juku-ka", followed by a welcome address from President Kohei Itoh. In his welcome address, he mentioned that this event was planned to once again celebrate the Keio University alumni who were unable to have a commencement or graduate degree conferral ceremony at the time. He also stated that Keio University aims to deepen its connection with Keio University alumni and continue to be involved as a true "alma mater." Furthermore, he expressed his intention to continue similar invitation meetings from next year onwards to enhance the sense of unity within the Keio Gijuku Shachu.
Next, in a congratulatory speech by Akira Haseyama, Executive Advisor for Academic Affairs, who was the President at the time, he looked back on 2020 when the commencement was first canceled and expressed his joy at being able to meet Keio University alumni in person. He continued by speaking about the importance of having a spirit of independence and self-respect and the attitude to face difficulties, encouraging them to act proactively in society and find joy in their work. Finally, he once again celebrated the graduation of the 5th-anniversary Keio University alumni with the words, "Congratulations on your graduation."
Following this, Minoru Maeda, Chairman of the 2020 Mita-kai Representative Secretaries, gave a greeting. He introduced the activities of the "Year Mita-kai," which emphasizes horizontal connections between Keio University alumni, and called for participation in the Keio Rengo Mita-Kai gathering to be held on Sunday, October 19. He spoke powerfully about overlapping his own work with the teachings of Yukichi Fukuzawa and becoming human resources who lead the era with the spirit of Keio University in their hearts.
Afterward, the 2020 Mita-kai officers were introduced, and at the end of the ceremony, President Kohei Itoh presented the Keio School Flag to Minoru Maeda for the 2020 Mita-kai.
After the ceremony, a celebration was held at the Co-op, Yamashoku, and Rooms 512, 513, 515, and 516 of the West School Building, featuring events such as a lottery for official Keio goods. Inside the venue, many scenes were seen of friends meeting for the first time in a long while and catching up. At the end of the celebration, all participants sang "Wakaki-chi" together, closing the meeting in a lively atmosphere.