Hirohito Miyamoto
Connecting, even little by little
To foster the knowledge and wisdom required to thrive in a globalized world where people, goods, and information move freely across national borders – this is the founding philosophy of the Graduate School of Global Japanese Studies.
More than a decade has passed since the School’s establishment. Today, however, we are witnessing various forms of backlash against globalization. Around the world, military conflicts have erupted in efforts to redefine national borders, and social media platforms are increasingly flooded with misinformation and xenophobic discourse. It is precisely in times such as these that the knowledge and wisdom that the Graduate School seeks to cultivate are becoming ever more essential.
As a relatively small institution, the Graduate School enrolls just twenty master’s students and five doctoral students each year. Yet, it provides opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds – international students interested in Japan and Japanese students seeking to understand the challenges of globalization – to interact daily and explore common questions.
The word “Japanese” suggests a unified identity, but in reality it encompasses a rich variety of individuals. The same is true for any national label, whether “Chinese” or “American.” Forming friendships beyond one’s own cultural background is one of the most direct ways to appreciate this fact. Before clicking “like” on a post that criticizes foreigners as a single group, the face of a friend may come to mind, prompting you to think, “No, wait.”
At this Graduate School, you will cultivate precisely this capacity to pause and reflect. Individuals from different backgrounds but with common interests gather together, study side by side in the same laboratory, and engage in face-to-face discussion in the same classroom, sharing meaningful time and space. This experience, impossible to replicate through solitary study, is what makes our graduate school truly distinctive.
The faculty and staff hope that our graduates will disseminate the knowledge gained at this School, share it widely and become a force to stem harmful currents in society. With this aspiration in mind, we provide lectures and research supervision while striving continually to enhance the learning environment. We also learn from our students and their researches.
There are limits to what one person can accomplish in the face of desperate and overwhelming circumstances. Yet, if we can connect people to one another and link one person’s “wait a moment” to another’s, even gradually, then hope will slowly begin to take shape.
The Graduate School of Global Japanese Studies seeks to cultivate “professionals with advanced research skills who can understand Japanese culture and social systems from an international perspective and who can engage with diverse cultures and social systems.” This does not refer to individuals who would use such abilities merely to their own advantage. International perspectives, understanding of diverse cultures, and advanced research skills have true significance only when they are used to reconnect countries and people separated by conflict or other factors.
This School exists to transmit that vision to the next generation. Connecting, little by little – I look forward to welcoming students who are ready to share this spirit.