Sep 13 – 14, 2025
Hitotsubashi University
Asia/Tokyo timezone

Bridging Student Apathy and Global Engagement: Lessons from Kenya and for Japanese Universities

Sep 14, 2025, 10:00 AM
55m
Main Building 2nd floor (Hitotsubashi University)

Main Building 2nd floor

Hitotsubashi University

2-1 Naka, Kunitachi, Tokyo 186-8601, Japan
Plenary Peace as a Global Language - Related Plenary 4 Room 26

Speaker

Shotaro Ishida (Politician)

Description

Japanese universities promote global issues, yet many students remain disengaged. I was one of them until an educational program in my fourth year took me to a slum school in Kenya, where I witnessed students’ fierce commitment to learning despite severe deprivation. This visceral experience led me to politics: I want Japanese people to feel the urgency of social problems near and far. This presentation validates the transformative potential of university education and suggests how university educators could turn apathetic youth into engaged global citizens.

Author

Shotaro Ishida (Politician)

Presentation materials