Sept.

Tai-Japan Institute of Technology is a private university that was founded in 2007 as the predecessor of the Tai-Japan Technology Promotion Association, which had been active since the 1970s as a training organization for Japanese-style manufacturing technology, and received approval for its establishment. The university has approximately 4,000 students and boasts a consistent 100 percent employment rate, with a certain percentage of graduates working for Japanese companies. President Bandhit Rojarayanont is a graduate of the Tokyo Institute of Technology and is fluent in both English and Japanese. He also listened to a lecture by Jiji Press. He shared his thoughts from a broad perspective, ranging from manufacturing to AI, and from political issues to social changes in Thailand. In Thailand, the population of 18-year-olds has begun to decline in recent years, and the percentage of students who go on to university has reached a plateau. Some universities in the country are "selling themselves" to China. For the future development of Thailand, it is essential to re-educate and train not only 18-year-olds but also those who are still working, but the government's support is not enough to encourage companies to take this step. He also expressed concern about the large number of immigrants who do not have nationality or access to education. I told him that this is an issue that Japan must also face and overcome in the future. We had a very interesting conversation. Professor Kazuo Hana, who accompanied us, introduced IIST (Institute of Integrated Science and Technology), the English-language program of the graduate school of science Graduate School of Science and Engineering technology at TUFS, and showed a video message from the students to the president of TUFS. Afterwards, Professor Hana also gave a presentation on IIST to the students.

Thammasat University President Gasinee Witoonchart is a woman, the first woman president of a university in Thailand since the 1980s, and it is not unusual to see women presidents of comprehensive universities in Thailand. The university also upholds the philosophy of being a university for democracy, justice, and freedom. After the introduction, which included an explanation of the university's charter, we discussed the similarities between the university and Thammasat University in terms of their origins in legal education and the ideals that they both aim to achieve.

The main event of the trip, "Hosei Meeting in Bangkok," was held on the same day. About 40 alumni and 60 family members attended the meeting. Three current students who were studying abroad at a Thai university or doing a long-term internship at a Japanese company also participated. Many of them are temporarily residing in Thailand with Japanese companies, and many of them have small children. However, there are also those who have put down roots and are living anywhere in the world. In Thailand, several people in their 30s and 40s have started their own businesses and are running them by themselves.

One of them is leading a gathering of alumni and alumnae, and the circle has already grown to about 30 people. In order to make this an official organization, a proposal was made during the meeting to start a branch of the Alumni Association, which was supported by the participants. The Alumni Association's activities are expected to go into full swing in the future as it further expands its circle to include alumni in Thailand.

One person who graduated from the Faculty of Social SciencesFaculty of Law but became a certified public accountant, spun out from a major Japanese auditing firm and moved to Thailand to open an accounting firm for Japanese companies, and a young man who graduated from the Faculty of Social Sciences was dispatched by a Japanese company he worked for to take charge of a logistics section in the Myanmar/Thailand border region, a position he has held for three years. He is now in his third year in charge of a logistics section in the Myanmar/Thailand border region, and is a young man in his third year in this position.

This was the fourth time that Jiji Press held a lecture at its "Top Seminar," following London, New York, and Los Angeles. Jiji Press has been conducting "Top Seminars" in each of the places where Hosei Meetings have been held, and I have been given opportunities to speak at these seminars in conjunction with my visits. This time, the 200th anniversary of the Top Seminar in Bangkok (it has been going on for about 30 years) was a special event, so about 100 top executives of Japanese companies and government officials gathered for the event. Normally, the seminar is a lunchtime lecture meeting, but this time it was held in the evening and there was a standing buffet party, making it a special event. After my lecture, Mr. Shiro Sadojima, Ambassador of Japan to Thailand, gave a talk on recent economic and political developments in Thailand-Japan relations for the participants, which was followed by a dialogue. We had a fruitful discussion on Thailand's richness of technology and skills, and the activities of women, starting with the method of innovation in the Edo period.

The November/December issue of the public relations magazine "Hosei" featured a roundtable discussion with Hosei University students. The four participants were Tomohiro Nishimori, who is active in the Hosei University Newspaper Society, Yuta Fujiyama, a student staff member of the Ichigaya Volunteer Center (VSP), Ai Konagai of Team Orange, and Marina Yokomizo, a staff member of the Extracurricular Liberal Arts Program Project (KYOPRO). They are the students who were instrumental in the 55/58 Farewell Days and the 3-Campus Bus Tour. As a faculty member of the Tama Campus, I have not been able to have classes or seminars since I became President, and it is difficult for me to walk freely around the campus by myself. Society is changing rapidly, and so are the students, and I really want to experience that firsthand. This roundtable discussion was a great benefit for me. All four students, despite their uncertainty, took a step forward, which opened their eyes, and from there, they all took actions to connect their interests to the outside world. They are not confident by nature, but they have the courage to act, practice, and verbalize their actions. All of the students were connecting their extracurricular activities to their intellect in lectures and seminars. Certainly, Hosei University is a place where this is possible. We hope that the publication of this roundtable discussion will be edited to convey the enthusiasm of the day in order to encourage other students.
After the meeting, I was interviewed by the Hosei University Newspaper.
After the meeting, the deans' meeting was held. After the Dean's Meeting, a workshop on data science was held.

At the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office, I met with Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike and handed over a "Proposal for Water Quality Purification of the Outer Moat and Nihonbashi River and Conservation and Restoration of Tamagawa Josui and its Diversion Network" jointly signed by Presidents of the three universities, Yoichiro Matsumoto (President of Tokyo University of Science) and Norihiko Fukuhara (President of Chuo University). The three universities, whose campuses are located along the outer moat of Edo Castle, have been conducting research to improve water quality. At the same time, they have been working together with local high schools, neighborhood associations, and businesses to preserve and restore the waterfront area. The first is to position Tamagawa-josui, the outer moat, and the Nihonbashi River as green infrastructure that plays a role in purifying water quality, improving water circulation, securing water resources for disaster prevention, and preserving and revitalizing natural history and culture by introducing river water from the Tama River to the rivers. Secondly, the water quality of the outer moat, which will be the marathon course for the 2020 Tokyo Games, and the Nihonbashi River, which is undergoing redevelopment along its banks, should be promptly improved by allowing river water to flow through them on a trial basis. Third, a committee, etc., should be established to gather the knowledge of universities, research institutes, and citizens (organizations) and to collaborate with them in studying the improvement of water quality and maintenance management of these water systems.

In other words, return the outer moat to a "flowing river" as it was in the Edo period, and restore the "city of water. The Sumida River is also quite different from the Thames in London or the Seine in Paris. The embankments are too high to see the water. Tokyo, a world city with global warming, needs water.

The secretary general of the Open University of Japan came to the office to request the appointment of a new Trustee and Councilor the Open University of Japan for the new fiscal year starting October 1.
Mr. Fujita of Mitsubishi Corporation visited our office. He requested to be appointed as a Councilor "Mitsubishi Mirai Nurturing Foundation.

Mr. Fujita attended a meeting of the Branding Promotion Team. The staff of the promotion team has been replaced by a new generation. At the meeting, I talked about the branding process of the university. I have already written about this in the morning edition of the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (7/1/2019). The branding process has been carried out with the help of the faculty of Faculty of Social Sciences, outside companies, and the faculty and staff, including the President office. I would like to leave this process as an important record.

Mr. Kengo Suganuma, the new president of the Tokyo Shimbun newspaper, visits the office. He is a close friend of the Tokyo Shimbun. Mr. Suganuma has a close relationship with the Tokyo Shimbun and used to write a series of articles for the paper. He is also a long-time subscriber. I also have fond memories of a symposium we co-hosted with the University's Okinawa Culture Research Institute, at which the late Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga gave a lecture at the University. This time, I was asked to write a series of 10 articles in the New Year. Apparently, it was not just a greeting.

A farewell party was held at the Sky Hall on the Ichigaya Campus for former Acting President Toyokichi Onizuka, who passed away the other day. Hosei University was in the midst of a series of major events in the 1980s, including the relocation to Tama, the sale of the Kawasaki campus, and the reorganization of the President.

The President Cup Golf Tournament was held again this year, and the trophy was handed to the winner. It was a very hot day, but we are glad that it ended without incident.