[Feature: 125 Years Since the Establishment of Integrated Education] Roundtable Discussion: What is the Rich Education Fostered by "Diversity within Identity"?

This year marks 125 years since the establishment of the current system of affiliated schools at Keio University. However, from its earliest days, Keio University has had Keio students of a wide range of ages learning together as one, and the system was gradually organized according to age over time.

While the history of Keio University since its founding is itself the history of affiliated schools, today I would like us to share and confirm what we have thought about the characteristics and significance of this integrated education through our respective experiences.

Since everyone gathered here today entered at different stages of the affiliated schools' curriculum, I would like to start by having you talk about your own encounter with Keio University.

My encounter with Keio began at the Yochisha Elementary School. I grew up running around under the zelkova trees and behind the Jisonkan, and from the 5th grade, I joined the Rugby Club. During summer training camps, I chased the oval ball at Tateshina Lodge.

After that, I went to the Keio Futsubu School. When I graduated from the Keio Futsubu School, it was the third year since the founding of Shonan Fujisawa Junior and Senior High School, and there were no students advancing from that junior high yet, so it was the last year that a large number of students could enter from the Keio Futsubu School or Chutobu Junior High School. At the time, I heard that computers and English were very advanced there, so I went to Shonan Fujisawa Senior High School.

I hesitated a lot about my path in university, but I proceeded to the Faculty of Science and Technology and have continued to work there as a faculty member.

Saito-san and Kono-san are the ones who joined from the junior high school stage.

In my case, it was from Chutobu Junior High School. From there, I went to Keio Senior High School, the Faculty of Letters, and the Graduate School of Letters. After that, I went outside for about eight years to work at another university, and then, 27 years ago, I returned to the Major in Philosophy in the Faculty of Letters, reaching retirement age this March.

Separately from that, I had two other types of connections. One was that from the latter half of my undergraduate years through graduate school, I was put in charge of instructing the Instrumental Music Club, one of the club activities at Chutobu Junior High School. For a total of about eight years, I instructed the music club as a coach.

Furthermore, for five years from 2007 to 2012, I unexpectedly had the honor of serving as the Director of Chutobu Junior High School.

I entered Chutobu Junior High School and immediately joined the Judo Club. My family has run a jujutsu and judo dojo for a long time, and I intended to succeed them in the future. However, the culture shock I received from Keio completely changed that thinking. It was as if I learned the word "freedom" for the first time as a junior high school student. My life at home, where discipline had been strict until then, changed all at once.

I did judo for three years at Chutobu Junior High School and then at Keio Senior High School. In university, I went to the Department of Law, but I continued judo in the Athletic Association, and I was often absent from my studies.

After four years in the university Judo Club ended, I decided that doing nothing but judo was a bit problematic and that I should focus on my studies. I went to the Major in Chinese Literature in the Faculty of Letters, and then to the Major in Japanese Literature in the graduate school. During that time, I developed a connection with Keio Shiki Senior High School and found employment there while still a graduate student. I encountered the Keio characteristic of "learning while teaching, teaching while learning" and began a very enjoyable and meaningful life as a teacher.

From 2000 to 2004, I was posted to Keio Academy of New York as a Japanese language teacher. Standing on the ground of the Academy as it reached its 10th anniversary, I felt as if I faced the starting point of education for the first time. Learning together with students who lived in dormitories away from their parents, day and night, inside and outside the classroom. It was truly a site of development. I was greatly influenced and retrained there.

After that, I returned to Keio Shiki Senior High School, but I went to the U.S. again and served as the Headmaster of Keio Academy of New York from 2015 to 2019, and now I have returned to Keio Shiki Senior High School again.

Nasu-san is the one who joined from high school.

I first encountered Keio through Keio Girls Senior High School, and after that, my whole family came to love Keio. Since I liked baseball, I worked hard in club activities in the softball club at the girls' high school. I also participated in student council activities and had the experience of serving as student council president.

During high school, I was given the chance to study abroad. In university, I went to the Department of Law in the Faculty of Law, and here too, I was able to study abroad through the Juku's exchange program. Thanks to that, my interest in overseas grew stronger, and I ended up working for the Export-Import Bank of Japan, now the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, which has connections overseas.

After joining the bank, I continued overseas operations for over 30 years. I was seconded to the OECD in Paris, and from 2010 to 2014, I was stationed in New York as the Chief Representative, during which time I had the opportunity to be involved with Keio Academy of New York. No matter where I go, it is a life where I never forget Keio.

Kono-san, you mentioned "culture shock." Specifically, what kind of things were they?

First, at Chutobu Junior High School, you are traditionally told to call teachers with the suffix "-san." There is no teacher's platform in the classroom, and teachers speak to students from the same eye level. That was a shock. Also, it is said that Chutobu Junior High School has no school rules. They only said to act like a Chutobu student. Being told to manage my own money was also a big culture shock for a first-year junior high school student.

How about you, Saito-san?

I also entered Keio at Chutobu Junior High School and was surprised by a kind of culture shock, wondering if such a different world existed. If I organize what was different about Chutobu in my own way, one thing is the custom of students calling teachers with "-san." This is truly thorough, and everyone, without exception, calls teachers with "-san."

At Keio University, originally everyone except Yukichi Fukuzawa was called with "-kun." When I was the Director of Chutobu Junior High School, I told the students that Fukuzawa's true intention was not that he alone wanted to be called "Sensei" (teacher). It is the spirit that everyone, including himself, is on an equal footing when it comes to learning. Therefore, there is no need to specifically attach the title "Sensei."

Yasaburo Ikeda, a scholar of Japanese literature, was heavily involved in the founding of Chutobu Junior High School. I believe that when he applied the Keio school style as he understood it to the newly established Chutobu after the war, he thoroughly implemented the policy of calling each other with "-san."

If you ask what the aim of this is, I think it is not just about equality, but about faculty not treating students like children. Students are children, but they are owners of independent personalities. In this respect, students and faculty are the same, and individual autonomy lies in that development. In that way, I think it means looking at each person as an independent human being.

Children are sensitive to such things, so when they feel they are being treated that way, they feel they must behave properly and straighten their backs. It is because they are connected as equals and by trust as human beings, not by a hierarchical relationship, nor by a relationship of the teaching side and the taught side. I think this is the way of thinking.

Another thing is "freedom." As Kono-san said, Chutobu Junior High School is supposed to have no school rules. There are things like agreed-upon items, but it wasn't that you had to do them; it was a very loose arrangement where, depending on the case, you could ask why it was so or even change it.

Also, freedom is a very difficult thing. Just because you are free doesn't mean you can just do whatever you want; at the same time, it means taking responsibility for your own actions. So, where and how do you decide what is okay to do and what is not? First, the person themselves has to think about it. After thinking, they try to express it in their own actions or words. Then, even if the person thinks they are being free, they might be told that it is merely being selfish.

I often told Chutobu students that we drink water when we are thirsty and eat food when we are hungry. We tend to think this is also our freedom. However, this is not freedom at all. Drinking water when thirsty is something you must do to survive as a living creature, so instinct is commanding you to drink water. This is a state of being made to do so by instinct, and it is not freedom.

Not only that, but in our social lives, even when we think we are doing as we please, there are many cases where we are actually being made to do so by something. We are sometimes guided by clever commercials.

Then, the question "Am I truly free?" should always be asked; it's not that one is free from the start. Even as a junior high school student, while going through trial and error in my own way, I clearly remember vaguely feeling that while freedom seems to be a very important thing for human beings, it is also a very difficult thing.

I certainly agree that being respected as an independent individual from childhood is true. I myself, when I was a student at Yochisha Elementary School, was never once called by my name without a suffix by my homeroom teacher. Everyone was called with "-kun" or "-san," and they always spoke to us in polite language. Also, the teachers' attire during class was naturally a suit and tie.

Regarding "freedom," I think this is a keyword not just for Chutobu Junior High School but for Keio University as a whole. During my Yochisha days, there were many opportunities to think about the meaning of freedom, and teachers would speak to us using Yukichi Fukuzawa's words, "Freedom exists within restraint." Or, at that time, at both Yochisha and the Keio Futsubu School, various teachers would read passages from Kiyoshi Ikeda's "Freedom and Discipline." I think that for the teachers as well, how to perceive and convey freedom was always an important challenge.

What did you feel when you entered the girls' high school, Nasu-san?

I think my culture shock came from two directions. One was the classmates who had come up through Yochisha or Chutobu Junior High School. More than half of the entrants to the girls' high school are from the outside, so they should originally be the minority, but from the moment they entered the class after the entrance ceremony, they exuded an overwhelming aura.

I think the classmates who came from below had learned the Keio school style from both their families and teachers. By chance, an internal student from Yochisha sat next to me, and she spoke to me very naturally. With this, I was able to fit into the school all at once. Since then, I feel I have been absorbing the kind of school style they possess.

The other culture shock was the teachers. As just mentioned, the teachers did not treat individual students like children, but faced the students, looked at each person's individuality, and responded politely. This was both a surprise and something I was grateful for.

I believe that at the girls' high school, the idea of mutually respecting each other's way of life has been nurtured. I think the good point is being able to learn what someone is devoted to and what kind of person they are, recognizing diversity, and respecting each other. When there were wonderful results, we praised them from the heart, and there was a culture where everyone cheered for those taking on difficult challenges.

This was a fresh thing I felt when I entered the girls' high school. No one taught us that, but as a result of overlapping or clashing the influence from teachers and the way people from the inside had grown up, I think a relationship was formed where we could properly respect the other person. Teachers didn't talk much about superiority or inferiority based on exam results, and we didn't have the idea that such a thing was great. I think it's because we built relationships while looking at each other's personalities.

In connection with this, a message that Mr. Kunio Yasukawa, a social studies teacher, contributed to the "A Word from the Teachers" page of the orientation booklet I created when I was student council president is very impressive, so I will introduce it. "Unfortunately, this school has become a very difficult school to enter. However, we do not want to make that our billboard. I'm sure you wouldn't take pride in that, would you?"

This kind of thing was the part I was most grateful for and held most dear.

Ushiba-san, as you advanced from Yochisha, I imagine there was the interest of new companions joining at various stages.

Even for me, having come up from Yochisha, there was a lot of culture shock. The kids who entered the Keio Futsubu School through exams were so capable, especially in math, that I wondered how they reached that level. I was shocked, wondering if these people were really in the same grade.

Because they had studied properly for the exams, their self-management ability was high, and from my perspective, having spent my time somewhat aimlessly, it felt as if very respectable adults had become my classmates. I felt rushed, thinking I had to do things properly too. That kind of shock happened every time I moved up to a school at each stage. When I entered Shonan Fujisawa Senior High School, there were many returnee children who were speaking fluently in English during breaks. Also, their values had a Western atmosphere, and I was surprised by the completely different culture.

Looking back, I think I received many very good shocks. Isn't the merit of Keio in the fact that more than half of the students enter from the outside at each stage, leading to mutual culture shock? Within that, we try to create one community, embracing each other's differences and becoming one team. I think that process itself has become the foundation of Keio's diverse nature that accepts everyone. This is my favorite part of Keio.

Although Keio Shiki Senior High School has many students who enter through exams, there are also internal students. Kono-san, are there things you feel as you observe this mixing part?

That is a part that I, as a teacher, feel is the real pleasure of affiliated schools, and it is also where we teachers are learning from the students.

Among the internal students, their academic performance might not be so great, but in terms of life aspects other than academics, such as sports and friendships, there are parts where students who entered from high school rely on and learn from the internal students. The current situation is that they learn from each other, give and take, and build a hard-to-come-by relationship of trust by the time they graduate.

Affiliated schools always get new blood at each stage. As a result, I think this is very good.

From the perspective of a child who entered from the outside, they might be overwhelmed by the presence of the children from the inside, but conversely, from the perspective of a child who came up from the inside, the academic ability of those who came from the outside after passing the entrance exam is overwhelmingly higher. The children themselves are surprised to find people who have things different from themselves. I feel that respect among friends is also more easily born by having new blood mixed in at each stage.

Students who entered from the outside are sometimes surprised by the inherent talents of those who came from the inside, which cannot be measured by exams. This is not something that can be acquired just by studying a little. I myself have had the experience of being surprised by such talents. I feel it was an environment where respect for the other person's talent and ability was naturally born.

Even though it's the same Keio, each school has its own individuality. How do you see the common parts and the individualities between each school?

Regarding this, the phrase "diversity within sameness" comes to mind. Every school has something close to pride or self-confidence, such as inheriting the Keio DNA. On the other hand, every school has its own founding spirit, and I think that becomes the individuality of that school.

For example, Keio Shiki Senior High School was formerly an agricultural high school, and even now the school festival is called the "Harvest Festival," and a harvest ceremony is held at its beginning. This is a ritual where the Harvest Festival Executive Committee Chairman picks and eats a persimmon that has ripened on campus while all Keio Shiki students watch. I think such things create the identity of Keio Shiki students.

On the other hand, Keio Academy of New York has a completely different culture. At the Academy, guidance is given such as, "Use honorific titles for teachers; not doing so is a disrespectful act toward the teacher. Be very careful."

At the Academy, students with various cultural backgrounds come from all over the world. Students are diverse in terms of clothing, food, and lifestyle habits. There were even students who didn't know the portrait on the 10,000 yen bill. Academically, we respond with classes divided by level. Unlike in Japan, teaching students with different academic backgrounds requires patience, but here too, teachers with various cultural backgrounds engage well with the students.

New students enter the dormitory before the entrance ceremony and acquire manners and learning methods at the Academy. Among them was a lecture called Keio Philosophy & Culture. They learn how to deal with different cultures by referring to the life and thoughts of Yukichi Fukuzawa, who was a true international person. This Fukuzawa spirit, rooted in Academy life, is applied in a wide variety of opportunities and serves as a spiritual anchor for Academy students across cultural differences.

What makes Academy students completely different from other affiliated schools is that over 90% live in dormitories, and from the experience of eating and sleeping together in dormitory life, a resilient relationship that goes beyond rules and involves clashing with true feelings is built between roommates and teachers. When they become truly close, they start calling each other by their first names, overcoming things like having to use honorific titles, and a relationship of trust backed by dormitory life is built.

When I visited Keio Academy of New York before, I participated in the activities of the Fukuzawa Research Society. They were reading "Gakumon no susume (An Encouragement of Learning)" in a circle, and the Academy students were discussing "independence" based on their cross-cultural experiences when they moved to America at various ages. I remember strongly feeling the preciousness of the Academy in the development of discussions that are not often heard in schools within Japan.

In my case, when moving from Yochisha to junior high school, there was a choice between Chutobu Junior High School or the Keio Futsubu School, and I went to the Keio Futsubu School. Several classmates went to Chutobu Junior High School, and since they spent their time in a co-educational setting in the city, I felt they had become quite sophisticated when we reunited in high school.

For high school, many went to Keio Senior High School, but I went to SFC and moved away from everyone. When I returned to Hiyoshi in university and reunited with my classmates, their appearance had become more adult-like and changed, and we were mutually surprised.

However, although they wear the culture of different affiliated schools and have a somewhat different atmosphere, there is something like a Keio boy or Keio girl at the core. When I think about what this is, I realize that the attitude of looking at me as a person and having an interest in the interesting aspects of being human to have a conversation is common to everyone. This feels good.

When spending time in affiliated schools, there are moments when you witness the existence and growth of friends who excel in a single skill, making you sigh and think, "This guy is amazing," and suddenly you find yourself wondering what you want to be in the future.

At such times, due to the presence of companions who "take an interest in the interesting aspects of being human," many children begin to think with a child's sensitivity about what kind of humanity and richness of life they want to cherish, and begin to pursue it. Even if it is something that seems geeky or niche at first glance, because those around them recognize and find interest in the way they are seriously delving into it, the person can devote themselves to it without worry.

I feel that children learning in affiliated schools unconsciously chase after humanity and richness while resonating with each other in this way. It's as if their posture as human beings gradually becomes similar. That's why even if we meet after a long time, I feel that we are always companions learning in the same school building. I think that leads to a sense of security and a feeling of being one group of companions.

Since I had a period where I studied abroad and went outside, there are quite a few classmates I was separated from. But when we meet as working adults, we return to our girls' high school days in an instant.

It's a feeling of being able to return smoothly without any unnecessary explanations. I think this is the result of having spent time together and sharing values. Now, taking the opportunity of COVID-19, I'm doing monthly online drinking parties with my friends from the girls' high school, and it's so much fun I can't stop (laughs).

After entering university, partly because my grade shifted due to studying abroad, the number of friends who entered from university became overwhelmingly larger. At first, just as when I entered the girls' high school, it's true that friends from the outside looked at internal students as something special, but through classes and circle activities, they came to understand that internal students are not all stereotypes. I remember feeling happy seeing them naturally come to feel an attachment to Keio through things like cheering at the Waseda-Keio rivalry.

"Diversity within sameness" arises from the fact that each school has common values and, in addition, was created with the awareness of issues and ideals of that time due to historical circumstances.

Each student nurtures their own individuality within each school that has its own personality, but at the same time within an environment that cherishes "freedom." And at each stage of advancing to junior high school, high school, and university, they mix together, including those who enter through exams. There, as we discussed earlier regarding culture shock, a chemical reaction, so to speak, takes place, and I value that opportunity.

In that sense, the individuality of each school is important, and it is still cherished in each school today.

As for where the differences in the individualities of the schools within the Juku come from, as you said, I think much of it relates to the origins of each school. Various historical circumstances shape the individuality of that school. In that sense, I think each school is a good rival.

I happened to enter Chutobu Junior High School. At the time, the Keio Futsubu School, which was Keio's other junior high school, carried a long tradition, and it was said that if you spoke of a Keio junior high school, it was the Keio Futsubu School. Therefore, although it was the same junior high school, we were looked at with eyes asking what someone from Chutobu could do, and that's exactly why a sense of rivalry like "I'll show you" arose. On every occasion, even in sports, Chutobu and the Keio Futsubu School would have various competitions, and I think it was a good chance to improve each other as rivals.

Basically, the fact that the entirety of Keio University has equality in the sense of "Heaven does not create one person above another," which originates from Fukuzawa, and freedom in the sense of individual independence as its foundation is the same for each school. I think the sense of security in having such a common foundation leads to the feeling that when you meet someone who studied at the same Keio University after going out into society, you can talk to that person with peace of mind. Even among people meeting for the first time as working adults, as soon as they learn they are both from the Juku, they suddenly become close.

Such a common foundation is the Fukuzawa spirit that is common not only to affiliated schools but also to the university, and I believe that relationships such as freedom, equality, and friendship in the sense of mutual respect are being nurtured.

In the sense of becoming able to have human relationships where we respect each other within a common foundation before we know it, I think parts other than classes, such as club activities and the student council, play a major role.

Kono-san, you have done judo for a long time. Is there anything you feel about human relationships through club activities?

In the Athletic Association, you can't talk to each other unless you are being honest. Since we eat and sleep together, there's no way to hide anything. In such associations, the feeling that we are the same once we are stripped bare was one of the most important things. For some, it takes a long time to reach that point, while for others it's short, but that is the greatest education in the Athletic Association, and I suppose one is trained both mentally and physically through these dense human relationships.

Saito-san, you have been doing music for a long time and were active in Wagner in high school and university. I imagine you felt the interest of working together with the girls' high school and Keio Shiki Senior High School during your high school days.

As you say, the fact that there are very many opportunities to be with other schools within the Juku in club activities is also a blessed part of Keio's affiliated schools.

When you are with students who have entered and are learning at schools with different individualities in club activities, there are certainly times when you receive stimulation different from what you receive from companions in the same school. In my case, I clearly remember discovering that among my friends at the Keio Futsubu School, there were several people with incredible musical talent from my perspective at Chutobu, and I was amazed, thinking I couldn't compete.

Ms. Nasu, you served as the student council president. During your time at the Girls High School, what were your activities like beyond the school itself?

We had horizontal connections between student councils. It was fun to exchange opinions with the presidents of Shiki High School and Juku High School, and to go help out at each other's school festivals. It helped me understand the other schools well. Thanks to the friendships formed then, even decades after graduation, the members from that time still gather and work together during our turn to host the Rengo Mita-kai.

In affiliated schools, there are also opportunities to encounter specialized academic fields of the university from an early stage. Mr. Ushiba, what are your thoughts?

I feel I was greatly influenced by Keio's vertical network and was taught many things that led to my current work.

When I was at the Yochisha, in an era when there wasn't a computer in every home, a teacher placed four or five computers in an empty room next to the faculty office. Because that teacher was a graduate of the Faculty of Science and Technology at the Juku, graduate students from a research lab in the Faculty of Science and Technology would come to that room in groups of two or three every Wednesday after school to hold a class.

I started going to that room tentatively after being invited by a friend. One time, I asked a graduate student, "What kind of research are you doing?" and was astonished when he replied, "I'm researching AI that gets smarter and smarter through conversation." When I asked to see the research, he brought a floppy disk with a program the following week and showed me an AI that got smarter by doing riddles.

I was shocked that graduate students could create things that change the world like that. That made me want to do computers and AI, so I asked my parents to buy me a computer, and that led to my current research.

Even when I was at SFC Senior High School, I stretched myself and snuck into a class on the adjacent university campus, and it happened to be a guest lecture by Ryuichi Sakamoto. Because of the openness that allowed high school students in, I was able to peek into various parts of the university, which was very stimulating.

This is something you can't understand just through school classes. It was great to have the experience of having an admired "amazing person" right in front of me, breathing the same air, and being able to interact with them. Now that I'm an adult, it has become a catalyst for me to think about how I can be someone who provides such experiences to students and what I can do now. I am grateful for the opportunity to have had many rich experiences within those vertical bonds.

Reflecting on myself, I also had opportunities to frequent the university from an early stage.

At the Futsubu School's Labor Exhibition, I was doing descriptive geometry and computer graphics. A teacher at the Futsubu School introduced me to Professor Tsuyoshi Sato of the Department of Mechanical Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering, who gave me advice. I also went to the Institute of Information Science in Hiyoshi and was allowed to stay among graduate students, running large-scale computers until midnight day after day.

Also, from high school onward, I received a great deal of help from the faculty and staff at Mita through the Fukuzawa Memorial Center and the Fukuzawa Yukichi Memorial Association.

The teachers had relationships of trust and connections not only within the same school but also with teachers at various schools and university faculties. I think they introduced me, thinking it would be good for this student to be exposed to such-and-such a teacher.

In sports, music, and academics, there are natural opportunities to interact with various people from a sensitive adolescent age. The younger you are, the fewer barriers there are between the humanities and sciences, or between generations. There is also an inclusiveness that says "come join us" to a child who wants to try. Today, everyone in society is struggling with issues of diversity and inclusion, but I feel there are many great hints within the traditions of Keio's affiliated schools.

Recognizing each other as human beings. Accepting that someone is a comrade regardless of when they joined. This should be important not just within Keio. It is very important to be inclusive and say, "Let's do this together," to anyone who empathizes with that vision.

People often talk about Keio's perceived closedness, but that's not the case at all. I believe the integrated education of Keio University was a mechanism that naturally nurtured a mentality and values capable of including all kinds of people through infinite connections.

At the Girls High School, teachers with high levels of expertise serve as regular homeroom teachers or come as principals. Being able to receive guidance from highly specialized teachers when young was a very good thing.

I was able to ask questions and talk with teachers who had specialized knowledge about things I was interested in. I think it was a very blessed environment to be able to do such things since high school.

There really are many professionals, aren't there? When I went to the music room at the Futsubu School, I was surprised to see a music teacher scribbling notes on a score with a serious face distorted by the agony of creation. Seeing a professional seriously engaged in creation was a huge shock and left a lasting impression.

The Girls High School is the only all-female school among the affiliated schools, and I feel that what is gained from that is very significant. That age is when one is most conscious of the opposite sex, but without thinking at all about the gaze of the opposite sex, conventional concepts, or role awareness, we did what needed to be done as individuals, tackled difficult projects, and did the heavy lifting ourselves for large performances at school festivals.

I believe that graduating after handling all of this allows one to become mentally independent and, in the future, economically independent. I think the characteristic not found in other schools is that during these three years, the idea of living without being dependent is drummed into you.

There are many graduates of the Girls High School doing interesting activities in various fields. Ms. Nasu, you were part of the first generation after the Equal Employment Opportunity Act was enacted, entered an organization with relatively few Keio University alumni, and have worked overseas. Do you feel that what you gained during your time at the Girls High School has played a role in your work?

The basic spirit of working while valuing the other person remains the same. There were times after entering society when things didn't go smoothly, but I believe that if you have the feeling of valuing and respecting the other person, you can reach a mutual understanding even in business. Also, I cultivated a belief in being myself and a sense of self-affirmation during my time at the Girls High School without relying on evaluations from others. This has been very helpful in terms of being able to work hard without wavering when facing difficult challenges at work.

Furthermore, while it's not necessarily something I gained specifically at the Girls High School, I have many experiences where the distance between me and the people I meet through work closes instantly and a sense of trust is built just because we are Keio graduates sharing certain values. I am very grateful for the expansion of this network.

Also, something I hope was of some help was during my time stationed in New York. Several Keio University alumni in New York were invited to speak in front of students at the Keio Academy of New York to help them choose their university faculties. At that time, as soon as I said "I am a graduate of the Girls High School" in my opening introduction, the students at Keio Academy seemed to be able to think of it as their own affair, and I received many active questions during the breakout sessions. I believe it served as some kind of reference for the students at Keio Academy, who are far from Japan, regarding their vague anxieties about how people who progressed from within the system can be active in society.

Earlier, Mr. Kono mentioned "learning while teaching, teaching while learning." How do you feel about the teachers at the affiliated schools?

Among the teachers, there are those who graduated from Keio University and those who graduated from the affiliated schools. There are also cases where graduate students serve as part-time instructors. Additionally, many physical education, music, and art teachers come from specialized schools rather than Keio University, so they are diverse.

However, if teachers stay at the same school for a long time, a common sense unique to that school can develop before they know it, and they may come to believe that it is the only correct way, sometimes leading to a lack of objectivity. Recently, personnel exchanges between affiliated schools have become active, with various movements back and forth. I feel it is necessary for teachers to constantly seek new blood, stimulate each other, and learn from one another.

Teachers at affiliated schools can see how each student grows over a fairly long period—not just while they are enrolled, but after graduation. For example, a junior high school teacher can see a student as a high schooler, a university student, and after they enter society. It is a blessing for us that we don't have to worry about immediate results like schools focused solely on entrance exams, and at the same time, we can think about education on a long time axis. I think this provides a tremendous learning opportunity for those on the teaching side.

I feel that most when we consider students' promotion or advancement to higher schools. At that time, we discuss each student's situation, which is the best opportunity to see that student from many angles. The various perspectives presented by teachers who view the student's future potential as their own affair, rather than someone else's, are extremely valuable. This is because we can share the educational philosophies of the many teachers a student has interacted with during their long growth through the elementary, junior high, and high school affiliated schools. The insights gained from this bring great benefits to our activities as teachers. I believe the role of a teacher who wishes for a student's growth—to become a promising university student and eventually a member of society who contributes to the world—is not limited to the student's time in school.

Professor Saito, from your perspective as a university professor and as the Director of the Chutobu Junior High School, what do you think is important for teachers at affiliated schools?

Earlier, Ms. Nasu mentioned that it was good to be able to talk directly with teachers who had highly specialized abilities and knowledge during high school, and I completely agree.

Children have a great deal of intellectual curiosity regarding things they are interested in, and they want to pursue highly specialized topics. At such times, having teachers nearby who are well-versed in the cutting edge of their respective specialized fields is a very good stimulus. In that sense, teachers at affiliated schools should be high-level experts in their respective fields, and I also hope they continue to refine their own scholarship.

Looking back at history, I think the teachers at each school have also contributed to expanding the breadth of Keio University's scholarship and culture. For example, my homeroom teacher during my Yochisha days, Mr. Saburo Kuwabara, often read masterpieces of children's literature to us, and at the university, he used those works to give lectures on the history of children's literature. Teachers at each school within the Juku can also devote themselves to fields that do not fit within the specialized frameworks of the university. Also, they are not chased by the meritocracy seen in recent universities. Thinking about it that way, I believe we must place more value on the environment within the Juku schools where one can deepen their lifework over time.

A good point of Keio's integrated education is the vertical connection in that sense. Since the university and graduate schools have faculty members researching the cutting edge of their respective fields, there are chances for such faculty to come and teach at the high schools, junior high schools, and even elementary schools of the affiliated schools. I definitely want this to be utilized in the future.

When I was the Director of the Chutobu Junior High School, the current President Kohei Itoh was there as a parent, and we decided to create a course where Mr. Itoh and frontline university faculty would speak to Chutobu students. During the elective class time for third-year junior high students, with Mr. Itoh as the organizer, we had university faculty, mainly from the Faculty of Science and Technology, talk about the cutting edge of natural science and freely exchange opinions with the students. Mr. Itoh himself spoke about quantum computers and quantum mechanics.

This was a really good stimulus for the children. At that time, Mr. Itoh prefaced his talk by saying he would speak from a neutral standpoint as an expert on the issue of nuclear power. However, after the class ended, a Chutobu student came up and said, "You said you would speak from a neutral standpoint, but isn't the act of speaking to the public about the mechanism of nuclear power in this way already not neutral?" He said he was startled by the question.

For teachers as well, through interactions with students, they are made to look again at things they might have overlooked. I thought it was a good stimulus for both sides.

In terms of being allowed to use the university's resources, something I thought was wonderful was participating in a multi-day computer programming course held in a large lecture hall at Mita during the Girls High School spring break. It was planned by the university, and anyone from the various internal schools who wanted to participate could do so. Since it was an era when personal computers were still rare, looking back, I think I was given a very valuable opportunity. This triggered my interest in computers, and after getting a job at a bank, I was able to be involved in a project to introduce the internet, which was cutting-edge at the time.

Within the vertical connection, speaking to students younger than those one usually encounters is very interesting and a learning opportunity.

When I was the Director of the Keio Yokohama Elementary School, I talked about various things to first and second graders. For example, even when talking about Yukichi Fukuzawa, it is much easier to talk to university students. You cannot hide behind difficult words with children, so you must speak entirely in easy-to-understand language. You cannot speak to them unless you restudy the subject considerably. Conversely, I realized that children have the comprehension to understand even very difficult things if we make the effort to convey them, regardless of the student's age.

Mr. Ushiba, you also have contact with students and Juku members of various generations. What are your thoughts?

Every year, we hold a summer research experience for affiliated schools. Graduate students work hard to teach about the brain, AI, medicine, and so on.

At that time, the students from the affiliated schools say that even though they are all from Keio, they go to different schools and initially thought they were different types of people, but while being taught by their seniors in the same place with the same goal for three days, their horizontal connections deepened and they became very close.

Seeing that, I felt the same situation I experienced at the Yochisha—being stimulated by wanting to be like the older graduate students—was unfolding before my eyes. I think this is the richness and fullness of the weave of vertical and horizontal threads produced from the bottom up.

It's not because someone told them to, and it's not decided by rules, but a sense of family like unconditional love where people want to "do something for others." I think this is a feat of tradition that cannot be built overnight. As someone who grew up in such a place, I want to have many opportunities to provide that in turn. Now that COVID-19 has finally subsided, I want to open a computer class for Yochisha students myself.

So far, we have only mentioned the good points of integrated education, but of course, there are aspects that must be improved. One is that because the environment is so blessed, there is a tendency to become dependent, thinking, "Well, things will work out somehow." It is a fact that if you just go with the flow within Keio's integrated education, most things will work out. In that sense, there is a lack of dependence, looseness, and strictness toward oneself. Anyone is prone to becoming that way unless they are very careful.

It is a fact that there are cases where people surrender themselves to the environment, entrust themselves to it, and are washed away. From a teacher's standpoint, at what stage and to what extent should we make the individual understand that this will ultimately not be for their own good? It was a process of trial and error, but it gave me a lot to think about.

The Girls High School was, in any case, "free." Until the year before I entered, periodic exams were held without proctors. Also, there was no daily homework, and in the third term of the third year of high school, there was something called a graduation seminar where, just like at a university, all classes became electives, and students could take classes they were interested in from a wide range of themes. In terms of studying, the students' autonomy was respected.

However, because students appeared who only sought freedom without constraints but did not fulfill the responsibilities that come with freedom—such as students who cheated or did not attend the graduation seminars—the student council felt a sense of crisis that we had to change the awareness of the girls' high school students through our own power, and held a school-wide assembly. This was the result of thinking that it is important to think and act for ourselves on how we should be, rather than changing our behavior because a teacher got angry. I remember it was very difficult to get the attention of the girls' high school students, who usually aren't very serious.

The phrase "sense of security" has come up several times in everyone's stories. I believe this sense of security is actually important.

However, it must not be the kind of security that leads toward the dependence Professor Saito mentioned, but rather a sense of security that allows one to take the plunge and challenge themselves because they have a place to return to. For that, as in Ms. Nasu's story, a certain kind of mindset is required of the students. Also, as was the case with the teachers who have sustained integrated education in the past, it is essential to continue firmly questioning the meaning of "freedom" and "independence" together with the young Juku students.

I have worked in workplaces with few Keio University alumni, but the sense of security from growing up in the affiliated schools has become a power that gives me courage. I think it was a very reassuring presence that allowed me to take on challenges outside, with the thought that I could consult someone if anything happened. For example, going to consult a teacher at the Girls High School or talking with friends—having a place to return to is very reassuring.

Professor Saito pointed out the issue of dependence as an important challenge. How do you perceive this sense of security?

I thought that what Professor Yamauchi expressed with the words "sense of security," I might express with the word "trust." I think there is definitely a basic human trust that is born from having received the same Keio University education.

Supported by that, when someone like Ms. Nasu goes out into a field where there aren't many Keio graduates, it can serve as a support that they can return to at any time.

In the case of the Chutobu which I experienced, the girls who enter from the outside, in particular, are extremely talented both academically and in terms of their abilities. Looking at them, since there are women with this much ability at Keio University, I want them to definitely utilize this ability in society.

However, it seems many still enter the home as full-time housewives. This is a real waste for both society and the individuals themselves. Ms. Nasu went out into the world, but I want more people to go out. This is something I want to hope for not only from graduates of affiliated schools but from all current female students.

I want them to go out more into fields where there aren't many Keio graduates. For example, the field of politics is one such area. Female politicians active with a sense of security. I expect women to go out while having the reliable support of Keio University behind them. We must also back them up with all our might.

It is precisely because there is a sense of security that someone will scold you when you make a mistake or lend a hand that you can take a bold leap, right? I think everyone should be more aware of that. As Professor Saito said, it is a fact that there are children who do not realize that benefit and think they can just go up the escalator in lukewarm water. How to provide experiences that open their eyes to that from an early stage is a major issue.

Currently, global activities, including studying abroad, are increasing, and I think it is better to do more of this. Also, Keio as a whole has some dull parts regarding understanding of regional areas. The same goes for the issue of disabilities. I think the experience of learning about such things is still insufficient.

Furthermore, the issue of economic disparity. Even at the university now, there are students who want to study but repeatedly take leaves of absence and eventually quit due to their family's economic hardship. Since people in affiliated schools are generally from more affluent families, I think their sensitivity to such things is low. I want to raise my own sensitivity and tackle these issues.

As I said earlier, Keio is not closed; it should inherently have a tradition of openness and inclusivity that understands people from various cultures and backgrounds, recognizes those who are making an effort, and supports them as one's own comrades. I feel it would be good if we could use that power more, make various problems more of our own affair, and become a Juku with even more depth.

I would like to hear your thoughts on what you want to value as Keio University's integrated education for the future, or any challenges you see.

I hope that opportunities for exchange between affiliated schools will increase more and more. Collaboration between high schools and the university in classes and so on is one thing, but even between high schools, since remote classes are now possible, I think we can expand the possibilities for class exchanges and the like. For example, students from the five high schools of the affiliated schools could share a certain time. At that moment, Shiki High School, Juku High School, and the Girls High School would also become co-educational. I think there would be the enjoyment of students attending classes with a sense of mental excitement. Also, if collaboration between junior high and high schools becomes active, junior high students might be able to have a greater sense of purpose and make more meaningful advancements to higher schools.

Regarding studying abroad, since the timing of the start of terms in the West and Japan is different, it sometimes spans across school years. In that case, couldn't we make it so that even if it spans the graduation year, students can still advance within the affiliated schools? Is it okay for every school to continue with only the grade system as it is? I think we could also consider introducing a credit system to increase opportunities for free exchange with overseas schools.

One more thing, through daily dialogue with students, I feel the importance of home education. Students are still bound to their homes. I wonder if this might be connected to the dependence Professor Saito mentioned. When a student independently decides on their desired university faculty, there is a moment when they realize that their parents' opinions might only be valid at home. I feel that is when the student moves toward independence.

Yukichi Fukuzawa himself said that to raise individuals with the spirit of independence, the home is first important. He also worked hard to improve home education throughout Japan. I believe how Keio University sends messages to families is a major theme.

I think the ideal state is for the goodness of Keio to permeate all of Keio, for this to continue steadily, and for it to spread to each home as well. I think it is important how we can get people who entered from the university to become familiar with the Keio school spirit and become supporters.

I believe that the further down you are in the integrated education system, the more you are blessed with opportunities for experiences different from studying for academic grades. These experiences build a person's depth. I believe integrated education is a system suited to raising people with great depth.

125 years ago, when Keio University established the form of integrated education that continues to this day, Yukichi Fukuzawa said in his writing "The Essentials of Educational Reform" that within that curriculum, one should "perceive a certain kind of spirit." And he said that if you dissect that school spirit, it consists of the spirit of independence and freedom, and the other is the practical spirit, the spirit of jitsugaku.

I believe it is important to continue questioning what that "certain kind of spirit" he spoke of is, and to constantly find contemporary meaning in it, in order to keep Keio University's integrated education—from the Yochisha and Keio Yokohama Elementary School to the university—vibrant and to further develop it in the future.

I believe we were able to think about what that spirit is during today's roundtable discussion. Thank you very much for today.