On January 21, 2025, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology hosted a forum for the six universities (Niigata University, Kanazawa University, Nagoya University, Hiroshima University, University of Electro-Communications, Hitotsubashi University) selected for "Future-Leading and Advanced Graduate-schools project (FLAGs)", where the selected universities and two collaborating universities (Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology) gathered. The forum was held in a hybrid format, using both a venue and online. Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, and was attended by approximately 250 people from the six adopted universities and the two collaborating universities, as well as people from universities and businesses, both in person and online.
This forum was held to share the vision of graduate school reform that the adopted universities and partner universities are aiming for, and to provide an opportunity to take steps toward further acceleration of graduate school education.
In the opening remarks and keynote speech, Akira Ishibashi, Director of the University Promotion Division, Higher Education Bureau, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, spoke about the future direction of graduate education, the role and significance of the FLAGs program, and expectations for the future, based on past graduate education promotion measures. In the following session, the six selected universities presented their visions for graduate school reform and their efforts to achieve them. President Takashi Wada of Kanazawa University spoke about the university's vision for graduate school reform: "A hub for nurturing and producing new value-creating talent through the co-creation and exchange of knowledge generated by multifaceted collaboration." He outlined future initiatives based on the university's vision and current challenges. He also spoke about the university's vision for working with partner universities, including the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, to collaborate with diverse sectors of society, including industry and government, not just to "transform" itself but to "transform" society.
Afterwards, a general question and answer session was held, during which eight representatives from the six selected universities and the two partner universities took to the stage: President Tatsuo Ushiki of Niigata University, President Wada of Kanazawa university, Vice President Ichiro Terasaki (Education) of Nagoya University, President Mitsuo Ochi of Hiroshima University, President Shunichi Tano of the University of Electro-Communications, President Satoshi Nakano of Hitotsubashi University, President Minoru Terano of the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, and President Toshio Iseki of Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology. Responding to questions and opinions from the audience, a lively discussion was held to promote the project.
To conclude the forum, Noriko Osumi, Trustee of Japan Society for the Promotion of Science gave closing remarks. She expressed her hopes for future progress in graduate school reform at each university through the FLAGs project, and spoke about the challenges and prospects for cultivating and producing doctoral talent and further advancing and developing graduate school education.
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Director Ishibashi of Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology gives a keynote speech on the promotion of graduate education -
President Wada talks about Kanazawa University 's vision -
Speakers from eight universities deepened their discussion based on questions and opinions from the audience -
Trustee Osumi of Japan Society for the Promotion of Science giving closing remarks
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