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The new year at Keio University begins with its community coming together on January 10 to commemorate the birthday of Yukichi Fukuzawa, the founder of the university. This year, the celebrations for the 190th anniversary of Yukichi Fukuzawa's birthday were again held at the West School Building Hall on Mita Campus on Friday, January 10.

The ceremony began with choral performances of Here Stands Yukichi Fukuzawa, sung by students from the Keio Yochisha Elementary School and the Keio Yokohama Elementary School, and Nihon no Hokori (Pride of Japan), sung by the Wagner Society Male Chorus. Following these performances, President Kohei Itoh gave his new year's greeting. In his greeting, President Itoh touched upon how Yukichi Fukuzawa continuously expressed his convictions about what he believed was most appropriate for his time, prepared to face criticism, to guide Japanese society in the right direction during turbulent times. Using this example, he demonstrated Keio University's strong determination to work together to transform Japanese higher education.

Following this, Professor Emeritus Shinya Sugiyama of Keio University gave a commemorative lecture titled "Yukichi Fukuzawa's Minjō Ishin (Transition of People's Way of Thinking) and 'Tools of Civilization.'" In his lecture, Professor Emeritus Sugiyama introduced Minjō Ishin (1879) as a groundbreaking theory of civilization that highlighted Fukuzawa's thoughts on the importance of scientific and technological development. Participants listened intently as he discussed how Minjō Ishin marked a turning point in Fukuzawa's thinking, shifting from emphasizing the cultivation of the intangible "spirit of civilization" as shown in Bunmei-ron no Gairyaku (An Outline of a Theory of Civilization; 1875) to focusing on the tangible "tools of civilization," namely science and technology.

Following the lecture, Tatsuo Fukuzawa greeted the audience on behalf of the Fukuzawa family. An awards ceremony for the Keio University-sponsored national high school student essay contest established in honor of Shinzo Koizumi, a former president of the university, followed. It concluded with the singing of the "Juku-ka," Keio University's alma mater.

After the ceremony, a New Year's Name Card Exchange was held in the Co-op Cafeteria.In addition, visitors could be found enjoying the newly opened exhibitions around campus. The Keio Museum Commons (KeMCo) began its 2025 New Year Exhibition, Where the Snakes Are, and the Fukuzawa Yukichi Memorial Keio History Museum opened its The Fukuzawa Memorial Center for Modern Japanese Studies' 2025 Exhibition of Newly Acquired Materials. With this, it marked the end of a fine day befitting Keio University's unique New Year's traditions.

KeMCo New Year Exhibition 2025: Where the Snakes Are

The Fukuzawa Memorial Center for Modern Japanese Studies' 2025 Exhibition of Newly Acquired Materials