[Event Report] Collaboration and Harmony Promotion Week (FY2025)

2025/12/16

The Office for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion held a series of awareness-raising events as part of "Collaboration and Harmony Promotion Week" from Friday, November 28 to Tuesday, December 16, 2025.

Under the themes of the three pillars of the Office for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion—Work-Life Balance, Barrier-Free, and Diversity—we held a total of six projects that allowed participants to experience the expansion of initiatives toward realizing a collaborative and harmonious environment at Keio University.

(1) Friday, Nov 28: "Gender and Sexuality Theory Public Lecture"

Connections and Support Protect the Lives of Young People: Insights from LGBTQA+ Youth Surveys—Creating a Society Where Young People Can Live with Peace of Mind, Based on Surveys from Japan and Australia

Have you ever thought about the experiences of the LGBTQA+ friends and classmates who live alongside us? This public lecture introduces the results of a large-scale survey of over 5,000 LGBTQA+ youth aged 18 to 25 living in Japan. The survey results showed that due to the effects of bullying, isolation, and social prejudice, mental health issues are serious, and the rate of considering or attempting suicide is higher compared to youth in general.

At the same time, these survey results reveal that "connections"—such as the presence of friends and peers at school, LGBTQA+ safe spaces, ally activities, and anti-bullying mechanisms—can be a powerful force in protecting the well-being of young people. In other words, close personal relationships and supportive environments can be a matter of life and death.

Furthermore, by comparing survey results from Japan and Australia, we wish to examine and point out the differences between the two countries, the complex impacts of having multiple minority identities, and the importance of support systems based on education, healthcare, and the community. We want to think together about what each of us can do to gradually realize a society where all young people can live with safety and dignity.

[Date & Time] Friday, November 28, 2025, 18:10–19:10

[Format] In-person and online (Zoom)

[Venue] Mita Campus, South School Building, 1st Floor, Classroom 412

[Target Audience] Keio students, faculty, and staff (Free of charge)

[Speaker] Mr. Adam Hill (Project Assistant Professor, Nagoya City University / Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society (ARCSHS), La Trobe University)

Interpreter: Noriyo Kaneko (Professor, Nagoya City University)

(2) Tuesday, Dec 2: "Diversity of 'Sexuality'"

After confirming the fundamental question of what sexuality is in the first place, this session aims to deepen learning about the diversity of "sexuality" and serve as an awareness-raising event toward realizing a society where people from various backgrounds respect each other's dignity.

[Date & Time] Tuesday, December 2, 2025, 18:15–19:45

[Venue] Mita Campus, East Building, 8th Floor, East Hall

[Format] In-person and online (Zoom)

[Target Audience] Keio students, faculty, and staff (Free of charge)

[Speaker] Yasunobu Hasegawa (Professor Emeritus, Keio University)

(3) Friday, Dec 5: "Nikuyo Nikunoshōji Talk Show"

Creating My Own Unique Life by Thinking for Myself and Putting It into Words

While building a career in the financial industry, Nikuyo Nikunoshōji continues to be active on various stages as a drag queen and in television, magazines, and YouTube. Living a life that values personal sensibility without being bound by social frameworks, Nikuyo gives courage and insight to many people.

In this lecture, Nikuyo will speak frankly about their journey so far, including their upbringing, how they faced their sexuality, what triggered them to start drag, and the reality of coming out. They will also touch upon financial literacy learned in the finance industry, how to deal with information to survive the SNS era, and the importance of the "power to verbalize dreams" in the AI era.

The message, delivered with a blend of humor and intelligence, is sure to provide new perspectives and hints for action to everyone who wishes to work and build a life in their own way. Please join us for a time to think together about a way of living where you shape your path by thinking for yourself and putting it into words.

[Date & Time] Friday, December 5, 2025, 18:15–19:45

[Venue] Hiyoshi Campus, Independence Wing, Classroom D101

[Format] In-person and online (Zoom)

[Target Audience] Keio students, faculty, and staff (Free of charge)

[Speaker] Nikuyo Nikunoshōji (New-lady / Economics Enthusiast and Columnist)

(4) Thursday, Dec 11: KIND Program / Nursing Care Seminar "Secrets to Balancing Work and Nursing Care: Nursing Care Comes Suddenly—How Not to Panic When It Does"

As part of the KIND-Nursing Care Support Program, the Office for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion holds a "Nursing Care Workshop" every year for those who may face nursing care in the future and those who are already facing it. To help balance work and nursing care, an expert will explain basic knowledge, mindsets, and specific countermeasures for nursing care. We hope this will help alleviate your anxieties regarding nursing care.

As in previous years, individual consultations regarding nursing care with the instructor will be held on a later date after the workshop. Family members are also welcome to attend. If you are interested, please apply below.

[Date & Time] Thursday, December 11, 2025, 18:00–19:30

[Format] Online (Zoom)

[Target Audience] Faculty and staff (Free of charge)

[Speaker] Toyoko Tsunoda (Director, Consultation Room for Balancing Career and Nursing Care, wiwiw Co., Ltd.)

[Program (Tentative)]

1. Detecting changes (family members' appearance and condition)

2. Advance preparation for nursing care

3. How to use Long-term Care Insurance services

4. Specific examples of residents in private nursing homes

5. Key points for balancing work and nursing care

6. Q&A

7. Information on nursing care consultation desks

(5) Friday, Dec 12: CARE Seminar "Express Yourself! Let's Learn Assertion Skills"

In this CARE seminar, we will learn "assertion skills for self-expression."

"Assertion" is a communication method for self-expression that values both yourself and the other person. By achieving smooth communication, stress is reduced and a place of psychological safety is created.

Let's think together about how to convey your feelings and build relationships while respecting each other through simple case studies.

[Date & Time] Friday, December 12, 2025, 18:00–19:30 (5th period)

[Format] Online (Zoom)

[Target Audience] Faculty and staff (Free of charge)

[Speaker]

Reiko Matsumoto (Counselor, E-Partner Co., Ltd.)

[Program (Tentative)]

1. Are you conveying your feelings?

2. Assertion skills! Let's learn specifics

3. Other communication skills

4. Important things other than words

(6) Tuesday, Dec 16: Lecture by Emma Otsuji Pickles "Living A Cappella: An Artificial Anus and My Life Restart"

After battling the intractable disease "Chronic Idiopathic Intestinal Pseudo-obstruction" (CIPO) for 25 years, she underwent stoma (artificial anus) surgery in 2019. In addition to her career as a doctor, she is Japan's first ostomate model, sharing unadorned beauty with the world based on the concept of an "A Cappella lifestyle."

[Date & Time] Tuesday, December 16, 2025, 18:15–19:45

[Format] In-person

[Venue] Hiyoshi Campus, Independence Wing, Classroom D202

[Eligibility] Open to everyone

[Speaker] Emma Otsuji Pickles (Japan's first ostomate model, physician, and Keio University alumni)