From a professor Students that aspire and inspire

Sahoko KAJI, Ph.D.

Professor of economics and former PCP Co-ordinator

Keio University  

One of the most urgent tasks for Japan is to produce Japanese who can conduct themselves among foreigners in the same way as they conduct themselves among fellow Japanese.  

On the whole, the Japanese are a well-educated people with good intentions who value hard work and sincerity. Unfortunately, such positive characteristics often fail to manifest themselves in the company of strangers. This can have serious consequences in the 21st century, given the political and economic realities. Japan was content to be the only Asian member of ‘rich country’ groups such as the G8. The size of the Japanese economy used to be second only to the size of the US economy. But with a shrinking population and lower economic growth, Japan’s external influence has already started to decline, relative especially to its Asian neighbors.

When Japan is no longer an economic powerhouse, would the rest of the world still pay heed to the Japanese? The answer to this question depends on the quality of the human capital which Japan can produce. With almost no natural resources, Japan’s only resource is its human resource. If we can get the rest of the world to say ‘the Japanese are people we can work with’, ‘the Japanese take pains to understand us before they explain their view to us’, ‘the Japanese are trustworthy’, ‘the Japanese produce high quality services and goods’, or ‘the Japanese beautifully embody their culture and tradition’, the Japanese will not be ignored.

In fact, such qualities are always expected of each other, when the Japanese mingle among themselves. One reason why such qualities do not come out as naturally when the Japanese face foreigners is the language barrier. The problem could even be called ‘English-phobia’ or ‘foreign language-phobia’. Yet this is not the only reason. Many Japanese are unable to bring out their natural self, when they encounter anything that is unfamiliar to them.

This needs to change, if only for the purpose of ‘making Japan’s contribution to the rest of the world’, something many Japanese say they would like to do. This is why Japan needs to produce Japanese who can conduct themselves among foreigners in the same way as they conduct themselves among fellow Japanese. Needless to say, the language barrier must be removed. But that is not sufficient. We need Japanese who are able to open their minds to people with totally different cultures and backgrounds, who can communicate effectively with foreign people. And time is not on our side.

At PCP, we expect our students to do more than just improve their English skills. We train our students as effective communicators by improving their ability at abstract thought. Economics, as it is a social science, affords good discipline for this training.

PCP students are students who aspire and inspire. All students in the program are encouraged to have an open mind, open towards each other and towards the world. Every year, Keio students from other Asian countries also join the program, and exchange students register for PCP classes. They all seem to enjoy each others’ company. Studying economics in English is not easy, even for students who have spent their childhood in an English-speaking environment. As they strive to become an internationally active global citizen, it is a joy and privilege to be a witness and aid in this process.