A ceremony to mark the 10th anniversary of the establishment of Keio Osaka City Campus (KOCC) was held on Friday, June 29. KOCC is a satellite hub for Keio University in the Kansai region which was established as the Keio Osaka Riverside Campus within the Dojima River Forum near a monument that commemorates the birthplace of Yukichi Fukuzawa in Osaka’s Fukushima Ward in 2008. It transferred all fronts to Knowledge Capital at Grand Front Osaka, adjacent to Osaka Station, in 2013.
At the ceremony, there was an opening address by Vice President Yutaka Oishi and an address in the capacity of host by Keio President Akira Haseyama, during which they expressed their appreciation towards all concerned parties, in particular the members of the Kansai region Mita-kai (Alumni Association). They also expressed sympathy for the victims of the Osaka Earthquake of June 18. These were followed by a congratulatory address from Mr. Kazuyoshi Zenitaka, Chairperson of the Kansai Godo Mita-Kai, and commemorative lectures by Vice President Keigo Komamura and Professor Masahiko Inakage, dean of the Graduate School of Media Design, respectively titled "Self-described "Authorities": Words, meaning, and authority" and "Innovation recipes: What are innovation methods for the solution of social problems and proposal of new values?"
The event venue was enlivened by, among others, exhibits on Keio University and Yukichi Fukuzawa, as well as those introducing actual projects by the Graduate School of Media Design (KMD) which has a research space at KOCC, and explanations on the content of their research by students in attendance.
Osaka is both the birthplace of Yukichi Fukuzawa, the location of Tekijuku, where Fukuzawa studied, and the site of Osaka Keio University a former branch school which existed at the beginning of the Meiji era. KOCC has deployed a full line-up of courses, events for prospective students, and schooling for correspondence courses as an educational and research hub in the Kansai region. There are also ongoing plans to roll out various initiatives with KOCC as an open focal point to provide opportunities to the many persons wishing to study there.