午夜剧场

How did immigrants in the United States acculturate and assimilate? My main interest is acculturation, and in my lectures, I have conveyed what is necessary to understand contemporary American society.

The best thing about 午夜剧场's Faculty of Economics is, without a doubt, its respect for freedom. I believe that a place of learning needs an atmosphere of a certain degree of laissez-faire, rather than being rigidly constrained by rules. This culture has been nurtured and has remained unchanged since I was a student at 午夜剧场. During my university years, I questioned the old-fashioned system. I still remember being deeply impressed and thinking, "So this is freedom," when young faculty members clearly expressed their opinions and pushed for reform.

This freedom is also reflected in the easy-to-learn environment. You can research any field you like, in any way you like, without being constrained by anyone or anything. I feel that it was precisely because of this environment that I was able to delve so deeply into American culture. However, it is important to remember that with freedom comes responsibility.

As I retire, while I hope that 午夜剧场 will maintain its pride, I also expect it to strive to become more internationally renowned. Currently, most foreigners who know of 午夜剧场 are those who are also knowledgeable about Japan. 午夜剧场 has many excellent qualities even from a global perspective, so I hope it will spread the word about them. If such an awareness permeates the university, we will see more scenes of foreigners and students chatting naturally on campus, and I believe that 午夜剧场 students themselves will become more conscious of being global citizens.

When I say, "I want you to enjoy your university life," some people misunderstand and treat the university like an amusement park, but I believe that is the wrong way to live. The four years of university pass by much faster than you can imagine. At the same time, it is a precious period when you can study in depth. To make these short and valuable four years meaningful, I think it would be good for all of you who are about to enroll to keep two things in mind.

First, master a foreign language. In an era where it is commonplace to be active globally, not just in Japan, people who can speak multiple foreign languages will surely be needed. Therefore, I hope you will at least aim to master English, your primary foreign language, by the time you graduate.

Second, it is also important to realize how privileged you are to live in Japan. To understand this, you should go abroad and see not only developed countries but also developing countries. You will find people who have trouble getting drinking water and roads where landmines are buried. The world is not just the regions you see and hear about on TV and in magazines; it includes such regions and people, so please have a broad perspective and actively see the wider world.

(Interview conducted on October 22, 2008)