The symposium started out with Sophia University President Hayashita and APIC President Peter Sato giving introductory speeches, followed by speeches from three separate speakers, and lastly a panel discussion. In his speech, APIC President Sato emphasized that “a continuing challenge will be to change from the ‘former’ type of nationalism to a type of nationalism where the environment and people are actively involved in solving various problems world-wide” and that “international cooperation is the source of encouraging force prompting this viewpoint”. During the panel discussion, there were questions regarding the necessity and direction of current international cooperation, as well as the expectations of young Japanese in a global society; lecturers with vast experience in the field gave responses and spurred exchanges of opinions with the audience.

Mr. Kenzo Oshima, former United Nations Japanese Government Ambassador, and former JICA vice-president, who gave a lecture titled ’70 years after WWII: A Shift to an International Regime Reform’. Mr. Kunio Senga, Managing Director of the Japanese chapter of NPO Save the Children and former Director General of Asia Development Bank gave a talk on ‘To the Youth: the Fun in Continuing to take on Challenges’; Ms. Miki Sugiura, Vice-President for Academic Exchange and Professor of the faculty of human sciences at Sophia University gave a speech titled ‘International Cooperation: The University’s Role in Personal Safety’.



As the title of the symposium suggests, the main audience of the event was Sophia University students, professors, and high school and university students. Sixty-five students from Sophia, six students from other universities, twenty-five high school students, and seven general attendees joined the discussion for a total of one-hundred and three people. After the symposium, students with an interest in international work and international cooperation went up and asked the lecturers questions. (Reflecting on this symposium, it would be nice to have more Q&A time after the lectures.) APIC President Peter Sato, Trustee Shimanouchi, Director Sakamoto and Director Araki were also in attendance.