{"id":78142,"date":"2023-06-29T12:20:00","date_gmt":"2023-06-29T03:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/?p=78142"},"modified":"2024-01-15T14:19:39","modified_gmt":"2024-01-15T05:19:39","slug":"prime-minister-fumio-kishida-delivered-a-speech-at-waseda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/news\/78142","title":{"rendered":"Prime Minister Fumio Kishida delivered a speech at Waseda"},"content":{"rendered":"

On June 18th, Waseda Alumni, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited Waseda Campus and delivered a speech to around 900 students at the Okuma auditorium.
\nKishida is the eighth Prime Minister who graduated from Waseda University, following Yoshihiko Noda, who also lectured at Waseda in 2012 as a current Prime Minister.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Prime Minister Kishida began his speech by looking back to his student years at Waseda University. He recalled that he watched the 1979 G7 Tokyo Summit on TV when he was a sophomore. It was the first time for Japan to be the host country of the G7 summit. Prime Minister Masayoshi Ohira negotiated with other countries to deal with a series of issues concerning the 1979 oil crisis and the Iranian Revolution.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was out of expectation that I am now in a position to host the G7 more than 40 years later,\u201d Kishida said, \u201cGiving a lecture as Prime Minister at alma mater, which was also unimaginable for me at that time.\u201d<\/p>\n

In response to various global issues such as the global pandemic, climate problems, widening disparities, and the aging of society, Kishida stated that it is impossible to maintain sustainability simply depending on the economy, the market, and competition.
\n\u201cThe international order is currently unstable, and we are at a \u2018turning point in history\u2019,\u201d Kishida said. He introduced his diplomatic policy and referred to the G7 Hiroshima Summit held in May and emphasized the significance of Ukrainian President Zelensky’s in-person participation in the summit.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Concerning his expectations for the next generation and current Waseda students, Kishida emphasized that the enhancement of international relations should go beyond the state level. \u201cThere should be international communications in the field of culture, sports, and civil societies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kishida stated that studying abroad is a key way for young people to get connected to global society. The Japanese government set the goal of achieving 500,000 Japanese students studying abroad and accepting 400,000 international students by 2033.
\nKishida also expressed his applause for Waseda\u2019s internationalization. \u201cI have heard at the number of international students has doubled at Waseda University in the last 15 years. Today, there are many international students from Asia and other countries listening to my speech as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Kishida concluded his speech by giving the students several suggestions. He believed that life is full of things unexpected. \u201cEverything you experience in life has meaning, nothing in life is wasted, and even if you feel you have failed, that failure will have meaning in the future,\u201d Kishida said, \u201c\u2018Seize the Day.\u2019 Cherish the time you have as a student.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the Q&A session, three students asked questions about “Sino-Japanese relations,” “countermeasures and policies for the declining birthrate,” and other domestic and international issues, just as what Kishida usually faced in a Diet session.<\/p>\n\n\t\t