Learning from the "Freedom" and "Happiness" Pioneered by Yukichi Fukuzawa, Especially in an Age of TurmoilYukichi Fukuzawa-Francis Wayland Memorial LectureTo be held on Thursday, May 15, at the Mita Enzetsukan (Public Speaking Hall), an Important Cultural Property celebrating its 150th anniversaryA "Moral Backbone" for the 21st Century—"Freedom," "Happiness," and "the Duty of a Maggot" in Fukuzawa's Thought—Keigo Komamura, Professor, Faculty of Law, Keio University

April 17, 2025

Keio University

On May 15 of the fourth year of the Keio era (July 4, 1868), amidst the Boshin War, as the battle between the imperial army and the Shogitai raged in Ueno and the roar of cannons echoed throughout the city of Edo, Yukichi Fukuzawa calmly continued his Saturday lecture on "*Wayland's Elements of Political Economy* ( The Elements of Political Economy , 1866)" at Keio University in Shiba-Shinzenza.

To honor Fukuzawa's spirit of respecting scholarship and education regardless of societal changes, Keio University has designated May 15 as the "Yukichi Fukuzawa-Francis Wayland Lecture Day" and has held a commemorative lecture every year since 1956.

This year, Professor Keigo Komamura of the Faculty of Law at Keio University will deliver a lecture on Thursday, May 15, titled "A 'Moral Backbone' for the 21st Century: 'Freedom,' 'Happiness,' and 'the Duty of a Maggot' in Fukuzawa's Thought." We kindly request that you list this event in your event calendars and consider providing coverage on the day of the lecture.

*Francis Wayland (1796–1865, 4th President of Brown University, USA)

Please see below for the full press release.