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The 21st Korea–Japan Millennium Forum was held over two days on December 2 and 3, 2025.

The Forum brings together presidents, vice presidents, researchers, and students from four leading private universities representing Korea and Japan—Korea University, Yonsei University, Keio University, and Waseda University—each year, with the aim of further strengthening cooperation among educational institutions in both countries and invigorating academic and research exchange. The Forum was launched at Waseda University in 2002, and has since been hosted annually on a rotating basis by the four universities.

The theme of this year’s forum was “Humanities at Risk.”

In the Presidents’ Session, participants engaged in candid discussions on the present and future of the humanities under this theme, addressing the shared challenges faced as well as the initiatives being undertaken by the four universities . The session also explored how humanities education can be preserved and further developed.

In the afternoon Researchers’ Session and Students’ Session, the theme was intentionally reframed as “Humanities at Risk?” to invite critical reflection. Free and creative discussions were held on the significance of diverse fields, incluidng as literature, philosophy, history, and the arts, in the age of AI. Participants from a wide range of generations discussed the potential of the humanities from multiple perspectives, leading to lively exchanges of ideas.

Group Photo

Presidents’ Session

Campus Tour (Waseda International House of Literature)

Students’ Session

Researchers’ Session

The Korea–Japan Millennium Forum serves as a valuable platform for the four universities to learn from one another and to jointly consider the future of higher education. It is hoped that the discussions held at this year’s Forum will further enrich academic exchange between Korea and Japan and that they provide an opportunity to reaffirm the true purpose of higher education.