Special feature Global human resource training at … Office, Toyo University Consulting on global...

137Vol.

Mar. 2019

The Institute for International Business Communication

Rakugo artist

Katsura Kaishi 14

My turning point brought about by English 18

IIBC ENGLISH CAFÉ Report

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Having the power to grasp the essential in an era of turbulent changeHaruaki Deguchi, President, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU)

Kiyotaka Takahashi, Director, International Affairs Office, Toyo University

Consulting on global human resources and managementInterview with Rochelle Kopp

Indicating concrete activity goals to foster global human resources

A university focused on fostering globally competent ICT specialistsDr. Emiko Kaneko, Professor at the Center for Language Research, University of Aizu

Global human resource training at universities

Special feature

Special feature Global human resource training at universities

Amidst the continued advance of globalization, universities are also becoming increasingly global as they seek to foster

human resources capable of thriving in society. In 2014, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology

(MEXT) launched the Top Global University Project in 2014 to facilitate a thorough reform of universities in Japan and make

them more internationally viable. Under this project, MEXT has been actively providing support to universities. This issue of

our newsletter addresses the theme of global human resource development at universities, with profiles of three universities

chosen under the “Type B” (global traction type) category of the project. Here we will take a closer look at the efforts at each

university to enhance their global profile and foster human resources, as well as their future plans.

Asia-Pacific University (APU), where I now serve as president, was founded in 2000 in the city of Beppu, Oita Prefecture. One of the key characteristics of our university is our international atmosphere and rich diversity. Over half of our study body of 6,000 students are foreign nationals, hailing from around 90 different countries. In addition to this amazing national diversity, around half of our faculty are foreign nationals including the dean of our College of Asia Pacific Studies, who is from China, and the vice-dean of our College of International Management who is from Germany. The many nationalities on our campus have created an academic environment that could be described as a “global microcosm” or a “United Nations of youth.”

I assumed the position of APU president in January 2018, handing over to my successor the reins of Lifenet Insurance Company, which I founded in 2008. The recruitment process by which I was selected for the position at APU was quite unusual for a Japanese university, involving around 100 candidates from Japan and overseas. The 10-person hiring committee included the vice-president, five faculty members, two university staff, and two graduates. I was struck by how the committee, which included four foreign nationals and two women, reflected the diversity of the university itself.

I had heard about APU for quite some time, but what really impressed me when I actually began serving as president is that the students are far more interesting than I ever could have imagined. I raised the slogan of “One APU,” aimed at bringing all of the faculty, staff, and students closer together. Based on that policy, the door of my office is always open to any visitor. The faculty members have not been so eager take advantage of this [laughs], but students have been proactive in stopping by to see me.

Just the other day, I received the following email from a high school student who had been accepted to APU under recommendation admission: “I want to travel around the world for a year, but I wasn’t sure if it was best to take a gap year before starting my studies or to study for a year and then go. I’d like to hear your advice so could you meet me over the weekend?” The student did come to the campus on a Saturday to talk with me. There was also a German student who asked me to invest in the business he started—and I ended up putting him in touch with a venture capital firm. These are just a couple examples of the many students we have with very strong personalities.

A place of learning that embodies diversity

～ Vibrant international culture at APU～


After holding various executive positions at Nippon Life Insurance Company, he founded Lifenet Insurance Company. His executive capabilities won high praise, leading to his selection as the president of Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU) in January 2018. Mr. Deguchi, who made that move from the world of business to academia, has visited over 1,200 cities around the world and read over 10,000 books. Drawing on this personal experience, he has emphasized as APU president the importance of “people, books, and travel” as key elements of personal growth. We sat down with an interview with President Deguchi to hear his valuable insights based on first-hand experience of the worlds of business and academia.

Haruaki Deguchi, President, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University

Haruaki DeguchiPresident of Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU). Born in Mie Prefecture. After graduating from Kyoto University’s Faculty of Law in 1972, joined Nippon Life Insurance Company. After holding such positions as the president of the company’s London-based subsidiary and head of its International Affairs Division, he left the company in 2006. Two years later he established Lifenet Insurance Company and served as president and chairman of the company, which went public in 2012. Became the president of APU in January 2018. Author of numerous books, including Jinsei o omoshiroku-suru honmono no kyouyuu (Real Education for Making Your Life Interesting). Has visited over 1,200 cities around the world and read more than 10,000 books.

Having the power to grasp the essential in an era of turbulent change

Special feature

2 IIBC NEWSLETTER Vol.137 Mar. 2019


The pace at which the times are changing is likely to increase steadily in the years ahead. For instance, even if you learn the latest computer programming language, it can quickly become obsolete. What people need to bear in mind in such an era of rapid change is not superficial technologies and skills, but the ability to grasp things at their root. What is important in this case are what might be called “vertical” and “horizontal” thinking.

“Vertical” thinking is the temporal historical axis, while “horizontal” refers to the spatial and global axis. If you can think in terms of those two axes, a clearer view of things will come into focus.

For example, the 70-year period from the end of World War II to the present was an extremely fortunate period for Japan. If the vertical axis is thought of in units of 1,000 years, while the vertical axis is extended to include all of East Asia, we could see that in the long, 4,000-year history of China, the period during which it was at peace and prosperous only covers around 200 years. So for Japan to have experienced 70 consecutive years of peace is a sort of miracle of good fortune. 　

The next thing people need to be aware of in an era of rapid change is the power of thinking in terms of numbers, facts, and logic. Let’s look at an example. There is a common view that if wasteful spending of tax revenue were eliminated, the consumption tax would not have to be raised. At first sight it seems like a reasonable view, but if you consider that tax revenue in fiscal 2018 was around \59 trillion, whereas expenditures were roughly \98 trillion, it becomes clear that we are dealing with a problem of a scale that cannot be solved by just eliminating wasteful spending. There are many such cases where you cannot find a solution in the mere realm of words—you need to the demonstrative power of numbers, facts, and logic.

We can consider the situation at Japanese companies from that same perspective. Job categories in Japan can roughly be divided between regular full-time positions that involve job transfers and promotions, and general office work. But this organizational style is quite rare worldwide. First of all, the idea that a worker could be transferred anywhere, at any time, completely overlooks that the existence of the employee’s spouse—so the system is rather absurd. I think it is always important to question such customs, and develop the power to think for yourself, using your own mental powers and words.

APU has over 17,000 alumni. The ranks of these graduates include one student who returned to his homeland of Tonga to become a government minister, and another is now working as the vice-governor of a province in Indonesia. I am proud of the steady stream of global leaders APU has produced, and I hope that in the near future these leaders will include the prime minister or president of a country as well. 　

We have 35 alumni associations, of which 26 are located overseas. Recently I traveled to a meeting of alumni in Mongolia in the capital of Ulaanbaatar that was attended by around 50 graduates. I can’t imagine that any other university in Japan can rival such an overseas network of graduates.

One of the strengths of APU is that the students we have educated, who hail from 152 countries and regions, are active throughout the world. It seems to me that we must have the most extensive international network of any university based in Japan. And this network is a valuable resource for our next graduates.

The previous president of APU, Shun Korenaga, formulated the APU 2030 Vision, which raises the ambitious goal of having “APU graduates possess the power to change our world.” I don’t think there are many companies in Japan, not to mention universities that set a long-term vision with the year 2030 in mind. And we are now striving to make that vision a reality.

What capabilities are needed in an era of turbulent change

APU alumni can change the world

～ The attitude required of a global human resource～

If you want to foster your thinking ability even further, I think “peer learning” is very effective. This involves friends or associates learning in a cooperative manner that allows each to display his or her abilities. Up to now, most education has been one-directional, taking the form of a teacher imparting knowledge to the students, but unless students have the proactive desire to learn, they are not going to assimilate what is taught to them. I think it is thus important for students to cooperate in small groups, and for teachers to support such autonomous learning. The approach of having teachers support the students own learning is called the “Minnesota method,” and at APU around 30% of our teachers have studied this method.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) conducts the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) to assess the academic achievement of 15-year-olds in the areas of reading, mathematical, and scientific literacy. PISA is conducted every three years. For the 2015 survey, Japan did quite well, ranking 2nd for scientific literacy, 5th for mathematical literacy, and 8th for reading ability.

This shows that mandatory education in Japan, which goes up to the junior high school level, is achieving results that compare favorably to other countries, but the situation reverses suddenly in the case of higher education. For the World University Ranking, conducted by Times Higher Education, only two Japanese universities—the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University—placed in the top-200. Since higher education is aimed at fostering the individual, with mandatory education forming the basis of knowledge, there is a limit to a system premised on a single teacher instructing around 30 students. In order to foster individuality, a class should probably not have more than 10 students, which suggests that Japan must reform its university instruction form the ground up.

Implementing education that leads to personal growth

3IIBC NEWSLETTER Vol.137 Mar. 2019


Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU）

I have always emphasized that the three things that are indispensable to a person’s growth are people, books, and travel—and this remains a focus for me at APU. In terms of “people,” our student body has many opportunities for interaction with a diverse array of personalities, including the many international students on our campus. For “books,” we hand out a list of 30 recommended books to students at the time of enrollment. And finally, for “travel,” we encourage all students to study abroad. APU has already entered exchange

agreements with 170 overseas universities. Our aim over the next five years is to have 100% of our Japanese students gain some overseas study experience (including short-term programs). A project team was set up toward that end and our board of directors officially endorsed the objective. Already we have decided on the implementation of several new study-abroad programs.

*President Deguchi’s message in English to new students entering in the spring of 2018 can be read here. http://en.apu.ac.jp/home/notes/article/?storyid=87

Today it goes without saying that English is the de facto standard for communication among those active on the world stage. So, to begin with, a person needs to acquire a solid English-language ability. And then, upon that basis, it is important to deepen your insight through experiences gained via

people, books, and travel. It is necessary to be ambitious in your studies, in particular, to compete against others in this era of ours, where it has become a matter of course for global leaders in the sciences or humanities to have double master’s degrees or PhDs.

What’s Crucial to a Person’s Life are People, Books, and Travel

English as the de facto standard

Only four universities in Japan have received accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), which evaluates education in the field of management—and I am happy to say

that APU is one of them. In addition, APU has received TedQual certification from the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). Such certifications and accreditation are like a restaurant receiving three stars from the Michelin Guide. Such indices are extremely useful for students trying to decide where to study abroad from among the 20,000 or so universities around the world. I want for APU to maintain its high standing

among such outside certification and accreditation bodies, while raising our value as a university even higher.

Enhancing a university’s value through global evaluations

I consider is that businesses are placing ever more emphasis on university students’ academic performance when evaluating job candidates. This is because a student who performs well at university is more likely to also be able to generate results at work from the moment of entering a company. One head of a human-resource department at a major company told me that it’s not possible to judge a candidate from an interview alone, so many

overseas companies place considerable emphasis on academic performance as a selection criterion. Universities are putting in place curricula that aim to foster students’ individuality, and universities are properly evaluating the academic performance of those students. I am confident that companies and universities will be forming even closer partnerships and that an even more positive cycle will emerge from this relationship.

Forging close relations between companies and universities

International AACSB accreditation APU received accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) as one of the educational institutions with the highest level of management education. Only around 5% of business schools worldwide have this accreditation, and APU became the third university at the time in Japan to receive it.

TedQual certificationAPU received certification for its tourism-related education from the United Nations World Tourism Organization. At present, 71 universities worldwide have gained this certification, and APU was the second to do so in Japan and the only private Japanese university to hold this certification.

In 2000, Kyoto-based Ritsumeikan University established Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU) as a private university Beppu, Oita Prefecture. Based on a vision of freedom, peace and humanity, international mutual understanding, and the future shape of the Asia Pacific region, APU from the outset began to attract many students from overseas, creating a multicultural, multilingual academic environment in which half of the student in a given academic year originate from around 90 different countries or regions. This is truly a globally oriented university, whose alumni as of 2018 hail from 152 countries or regions. In 2017, APU became one of the few comprehensive universities in Japan to issue an open call for candidates interested in becoming the next university president, based on the idea of open recruitment for university management positions promoted under the Top Global University Project of Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). The first APU president to be selected under this recruitment system was Haruaki Deguchi.

～ Fostering human resources valued globally～



During the Edo period, the Aizu domain was known for its commitment to education, such as its legendary Nisshin-kan school. But for a long time since the beginning of the Meiji period in 1868, the area had no four-year university. The establishment of the University of Aizu in 1993 finally brought a four-year university to the region. Prior to the university’s establishment, those involved in the planning wanted to create a university with a sharp focus. This resulted in the creation of Japan’s first university specializing in computer science and engineering, with the aim of fostering IT experts with a global outlook. The field of computer science and engineering is one in which English is fundamental, and learning English is also indispensable to having a global outlook. A key characteristic of the university is that English is widely used and students focus on computer science and engineering.

Today scientific technology is developing robots, navigation systems, drones, and other devices, but if a mistake is made in the way such things are used it can be extremely dangerous. If a person just programs as they are asked to do, there is the possibility that the result could be deadly to human beings. Given this danger, the University of Aizu seeks to develop student’s ethnical outlook and humanity, reflecting the slogan, “To advance knowledge for humanity.” The university has set forth the principles of seeking inventions and discoveries that contribute to the peace and prosperity of the human race. The great premise is to develop research on the basis of high ethical values and to learn how skills can be used for the sake of the peace of humanity.

In order to implement its founding principles, the University of Aizu has adopted an international strategy summed up in the expression, “Local to Global, Global to Local.” On the basis of conveying information to the world from Aizu, while at the same time accepting human resources from around the world, we are seeking to actively engage in partnerships with local companies that utilize ICT while fostering ICT personnel who have a global perspective and can be active on the world stage.

This basic outlook is the reason, I think, that our university has been able to adopt an international approach from the time of its establishment. Students have been given many opportunities to acquire English ability, such as attending classes on specialized subjects conducted in English and writing their graduation thesis in English. Moreover, at the time the university was opened, around 60% of its faculty hired foreign nationals in order to introduce cutting-edge technologies to students. (At present, foreign professors make up around 40% of the university’s teaching staff.) The university opened not long after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, so it was able to welcome many Russian researchers, who transferred their entire laboratories to our campus. Given this environment, most of the email communication is conducted in English, with Japanese only used occasionally when necessary, and simultaneous translation available at any faculty meeting. Although hiring in-house interpreters is costly, the faculty members agree that this is a worthwhile expenditure. This shows the broad consensus among professors of the importance of having an international approach.

The University of Aizu in Fukushima Prefecture is the first four-year university established in the Aizu region of northeastern Japan. The non-comprehensive university centers on the School of Computer Science and Engineering, its sole undergraduate faculty. In order to foster human resources that are globally competitive, the university has been implementing education that specializes in English and information and communication technology (ICT) through such measures as making it mandatory for students to write their graduation thesis in English. To find out more about these initiatives we spoke to Ph.D. Emiko Kaneko, who is promoting English education at the university.

Ph.D. Emiko Kaneko, Professor at the Center for Language Research, University of Aizu

A university focused on fostering globally competent ICT specialists

The Top Global University Project of the University of Aizu seeks to foster innovative ICT personnel who can be active globally, based on the three concepts of spirit , technology , and adaptability . The four pillars created for concrete initiatives under the project are: (1) an undergraduate and graduate-school honors program; (2) establishment of subjects on technology innovation, entrepreneurship, and overseas internships, and (3) Improving governance and globalization.

The comprehensive undergraduate and graduate-school honors program allows some students to complete their undergraduate education and MA program in just five years, using the remaining year as an “honors year” during which they can take part in an overseas study or internships, or participate in such things as programming contests. The university provides the students with up to ¥500,000 to fund their activities during that honors year.

Examples of subjects related to entrepreneurship and overseas internships include the overseas internship programs in either California’s Silicon Valley or the Chinese city Dalian. Around a thousand students take part every year, and the number is steadily increasing. For several years already the university has also been offering the Global Experience Gateway short-term study-abroad program, launched in 2013. The program was created, as its name implies, as a gateway for those not yet ready to embark on a long-term program. The program is open to anyone willing to participate, but efforts have been made to make sure that it provides more than just a simple overseas study experience. Support is offered before and after the program, including assistance for travel fees, seven preparatory classes prior to departure, and bestowing of credits for the study abroad. The participants, meanwhile, are asked to keep a blog during their time overseas and create an interview video. The videos the students make are very high in quality, which

Increasing the pace of internationalization after being chosen as a Top Global University

A university founded to foster global human resources who contribute to the community, Japan, and the world



Since being selected under the Top Global University Project, the public profile of the University of Aizu has been rising. The university has risen to the rank of 34th place within Japan under the World University Rankings published by The Times Higher Education, and the rank of 601st to 800th globally.

Perhaps as a reflection of such positive exposure, the average TOEIC L&R score among those matriculating in the 2018 academic year was 450, the highest on record. This is higher than the 404- average among universities specializing in computer science, published by IIBC, and the increased average seems to demonstrate that more students are entering the university with an awareness that it is one of Japan’s Top Global Universities. The project,

incidentally, has set the goal for all Top Global Universities to have an average score on the L&R of at least 500 by 2023. To be frank, I had worried this was setting the hurdle a bit too high for us, but these days I think that it could be set a little bit higher.

One recent initiative at the university is for students to acquire “English ability they can use,” based on a rethinking of how we have taught academic English to date. Under the new curriculum introduced in 2018, we created a “Can-Do” statement based on task-based language teaching, and now we are instructing students on practical conversation and reading ability related to computer science and engineering. Since the program has just started, we haven’t been able to evaluate its effectiveness yet, but my impression is that it has helped to reduce students’ reluctance to speak English by creating more opportunities for them to actively express themselves in English as part of pair and group work.

Currently, the University of Aizu has entered agreements with 83 overseas universities, and in order to advance our efforts to internationalize we are increasing the number of students participating in the ICT Global Program All-English Undergraduate Course. In particular, I would like to see more Japanese students take part in the course. We are also striving to have more students go on to graduate school to expand the number of human resources who are studying advanced ICT and can convey the results of their cutting-edge research to others in English. This effort to have Aizu become a center for ICT professionals to acquire the English proficiency and technical skills they need so that they can contribute to Aizu, Japan, and the world, is one area we intend to focus on in the years ahead.

Benefits of the Top Global University Project and future initiatives

• Creating unified governance at the undergraduate and graduate level Introducing integrated undergraduate/graduate courses and offering a flexible enrollment schedule

• Creating an innovative global ICT program Credit-earning classes on all subjects in English and courses on Japanese culture

• Creating subjects on innovative technology, entrepreneurship, and overseas internships Training that utilizes overseas bases

• Improving governance and globalization Improving the English ability of all staff and creating a multicultural campus

TechnologyCultivation of strong competitive

abilities to design, develop, and utilize ICT

AdaptabilityAbility to adapt to a multicultural

environment and internationalizing the entire campus

SpiritFostering an entrepreneurial

spirit through innovation and an identity rooted in the community

Creation of four key programs to implement the concept

Spirit, technology, and adaptability program

For the area of “Improving governance and globalization,” we are making efforts to improve the English ability of university staff. One mandatory selection criterion for staff is to have scored at least 580 points on the TOEIC® Listening & Reading Test. Even after being hired, the university continues to actively support the efforts of staff to improve their English by holding classes for them.

is not surprising given the students’ computer knowledge, and they handle all the reporting, editing, and addition of English subtitles, etc. This is a great experience for the students.

TOEIC® Speaking Test is administered to participants before and after the program. Since the program only lasts three weeks, scores are not expected to rise dramatically, but we would like students to look at the experience of taking the test as a chance to raise their own motivation. Recently, there have been many students who first took part in the Global Experience Gateway program, and later challenged themselves by taking part in medium-term study abroad programs or internships.

The University of Aizu has been focusing on such programs that send students out into the world, but the biggest change since its selection under the Top Global University Project has been the acceptance of international students at the undergraduate level. The undergraduate student body at the university had once been entirely Japanese. In order to accept outstanding foreign students proficient in English, the University of Aizu put in place the ICT Global Program All-English Undergraduate Course. This program’s main characteristic is that courses are only in English and international participants can graduate. Japanese and international students study in the same classroom, which benefits both sides. The number of our foreign students is increasingly gradually, and at the same time the program seems to be changing the awareness of Japanese students. Proactive Japanese students often stop by the Global Lounge where they can communicate with international students and hone their English speaking skills. A group has also been formed of Japanese and international students that aims to promote communication between the two sides and foster collaboration with the community, and that group sometimes visits elementary schools to make presentations as part of a program for international students to explain their home countries and cultures to elementary school kids. The program has been well received, with around 25 such visits to schools over the past year. Such initiatives are led by the students themselves, rather than faculty members, out of respect for the students’ autonomy and the desire to give proactive students many extracurricular opportunities.

Overview of the Top Global University concept



The University of AizuEstablished in 1993 as Japan’s first university specializing in computer science and engineering, and the first four-year university in the Aizu region. The university’s founding principle is to “advance knowledge for humanity.” From the time of its establishment, the university has been focusing on English and ICT, and it offer students an array of opportunities to study in English. The University of Aizu is aiming to use scientific technology to bring about peace and prosperity for humanity, while fostering global human resources. In 2014, the university was selected under Japan’s Top Global University Project. The university is accelerating its efforts toward internationalization, including programs for students to spend a year overseas to study or take part in an internship at some point during their undergraduate or graduate-school years, and academic programs that offer all classes in English. The university is also increasing the number of students who go on to enter graduate school programs, in pursuit of the aim of cultivating human resources conducting cutting-edge ICT research.

I lived in the United States with my family from the age of three to five, and even after returning to Japan I took English conversation lessons so I have always liked English. Since I was also interested in scientific subjects, I asked my high-school teacher if there were any science-oriented universities that emphasized international interaction. And that teacher told me about the University of Aizu.

The university is in a beautiful natural setting, with campus facilities that allow students to focus on their studies, while also having systems in place to help them improve their English ability. At the Global Lounge open to all students it is possible to interact with the many international students who come from Vietnam, China, and other countries. There are international students in the same classas me, so I can use English every day.

The courses in English also provide support for improving English ability. I was able to improve my reading skills in English, which had been

lacking, through classes that assign students to read books available in the library and then take tests on their knowledge. Students who pass a test have the word-count of the book added up and can receive credits once they have reached the required number of words. Various books are prepared for the students, on a variety of subjects and lengths, so students can hone their reading skills based on their own level.

At present, I am doing research to compile an enormous database for use in IoT by monitoring the lifestyles of older people. And I am also preparing my graduation thesis in English. I have decided to continue on to graduate school at the University of Aizu, with the aim of doing research

on machine learning. I want to continue honing my English and ICT ability so that one day I can make use of the skills I have acquired to work as a technician in the sort of job that will allow me to interact with people from other countries in English.

As a second-year student I participated in the internship program in Silicon Valley, and in my third year I studied for half a year in the United States at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Indiana. Those two experiences really boosted my confidence. At the Rose-Human Institute of Technology, I took part in a project to recreate a past video game from stage one. It was a precious experience for me to help to advance that project together with American students and other international students. That experience gave me the sense that global human resources are not necessarily persons who lead others, but rather those who can work together with others toward a common goal, even when there is a language barrier between them. There were many things that I could not quite understand as a non-native speaker of English, but I learned how to keep trying to communicate without giving up. As a result, I could gradually accustom myself to speaking English and my communication became more natural.

University life with abundant opportunities to come into contact with English

Studying for half a year in America to learn about what it takes to be a global human resource

Striving to become a technician who can use English and contribute to society with international colleagues

Takahiro YamauchiFourth-year computer science and engineering student

Talking with Students at

the University of Aizu



Toyo University used the occasion of its 125th anniversary as a springboard for strongly advancing its internationalization efforts. We spoke to faculty and students to find out more about the university’s global-oriented initiatives, including the concrete measures it is taking in the realm of education and the results that have been generated thus far.

Kiyotaka Takahashi, Director, International Affairs Office, Toyo University

Indicating concrete activity goals to foster global human resources

The predecessor of Toyo University was Tetsugakukan, a private “academy of philosophy” founded by the philosopher Enryo Inoue. Since that time, the education provided has been based on the pillar of philosophy. But the sort of philosophical education that Inoue had in mind was not aimed at training philosophers, but rather fostering students who were always curious and critical and able to form decisions on their own. In marking the university’s 125th anniversary in 2012, the decision was made to focus on three areas in particular: philosophy education, internationalization, and career education.

Japan will not be able to keep pace with the many universities in Asia that are internationalizing themselves if its students as well as its own universities are too inward looking. In the years ahead, the world will become even more border-free, and even though there are signs of political movements that prioritize national interests, it will remain vital to foster the sort of human resources who have received a global education that allows them to build strong partnerships within the international community. Toyo

University understand the meaning of “global human resources” as those who understand their own country’s culture, while respecting the culture of others, and are able to clearly express their own ideas and take action. One key element of this is language ability, and the university introduced the TOEIC® Program to stream classes and evaluate performance, while also using the test scores as a criterion for study-abroad scholarships.

The full-fledged internationalization efforts at Toyo University date back to 2012, when its Faculty of Global and Regional Studies was selected under the Go Global Japan (GGJ) Project. Two years later the university was chosen under the Top Global University Project of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, which led to the implementation of a university-wide system to promote internationalization. Since then, the university has stepped up its efforts toward that end, and more and more students are enrolling who have a global outlook, which has raised the overall level of scholastic endeavor.

In order to promote its globalization efforts, Toyo University introduced the concept of aiming to be an Asian hub university for global leaders. This initiative has been named Toyo Global Diamonds (TGD) for two reasons.

First, although the human resources that have received a global foundation at the university are dispersed in a pyramid shape, as is typical, the university in developing its global education wants to shift to a diamond shape with a strong central body of talent. The second reason is connected to the symbolic image of polishing the students like a diamond so that they can develop into global human resources.

In order to become an Asian hub university for global leaders, the university is implementing policies aimed at having more international students attend, including the introduction in 2016 of an entrance test for overseas students so that they can directly enroll.In the first year, there were only around 50 applicants, but that number is now over 240 thanks to efforts that include trips to Asian countries to attract outstanding students there and the beginning of fall admissions in 2017 to make it easier for overseas students to study at Toyo University. The university’s president has noted that the “campus atmosphere has changed greatly” since the TGD initiative was launched, giving the strong impression that the university is forging a new path.

Selection as a Top Global University accelerates the internationalization effort

Formulating the Toyo Global Diamonds concept

Toyo Global Diamonds concept

Toyo University

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Toyo University established the Department of Global Innovation within its Faculty of Global and Regional Studies in order to foster a new elite in relation to the university’s effort to promote internationalization. Since each department within the university had its own separate educational policies, it was time-consuming for internationalization to take root within them. Instead of seeking to influence those existing faculties, it was decided it would be a better approach to create a new department that could make an impact. After studying examples from other universities that had taken that approach,

we opened the faculty in April 2017. The number of first-year students was limited to 100, with around 30% of them being foreign nationals. All of the faculties’ classes are conducted in English, and Japanese students are required to spend a year studying abroad. The department aims to cultivate innovative human resources with a spirit of creativity and entrepreneurship, while positioning the field of economics as the foundation. The students also made many requests of their professors, reflecting a type of student different from the students at the university up to that point.

One concrete initiative to advance the TGD project is the Toyota Global Leader (TGL) program, which aims to strengthen the following three elements: Communicative ability using English in a multicultural environment; Ability to create cultural value; Problem-solving ability in a multicultural environment.

The TGL program indicates concrete activity goals to students, and the activities can be managed using a portfolio system. There are three levels of achievement under the program, bronze, silver, and gold. In order to receive the top gold ranking, a student has to submit an academic paper in English, including a summary of their graduation thesis, and must also participate in a study-abroad program or internship that lasts three weeks or longer. The higher the ranking, the more difficult the content of the activities.

One point emphasized by the TGL program is that studying abroad is not the final destination. Even after a student returns to Japan, he or she can participate in (or help to organize) the TGL Camp events on campus and take part in an internship or international symposium. The aim is acquire the grounding needed to become a global human resource by means of such ongoing activities. 　

Quite a few students are eager to study abroad but lack the language ability or financial resources to do so. In response, Toyo University is providing many opportunities for students to proactively take the TOEIC Program at a time that best suits them, and it then uses the test results to divide English classes.

A TOEIC L&R of at least 730 score is necessary to receive the TGL Gold rank, while the Silver rank requires of at least 590 score. Financial support is

also provided to students through a study-abroad scholarship system. There is no quota on the number of students who can receive a ¥500,000 scholarship as long as they meet the requirements, and it is possible to receive a grant of up to \3 million. The amount of the scholarship changes in line with a student’s TOEIC L&R score, so this provides students with an incentive to study English. The grant conditions under this scholarship system are quite favorable compared to other universities, and since the scale of the payment is quite large many students make use of the system.

Along with steadily putting in place such systems to support Japanese students, Toyo University is also deliberating with overseas universities to be able to accept international transfer students. One of my aims in the years ahead is to also open an overseas campus as a means of expanding the realm of our high-quality education. I would like the university’s own effort to raise its global profile to encourage our students to learn.

Establishing the Department of Global Innovation to promote internationalization

Leading students by providing concrete activity goals

Various structures for encouraging students

Certification process

Everyone participates from time of enrolling at Toyo University

GOLD

SILVER

BRONZE

GOLD

SILVER

BRONZE

GOLD

SILVER

BRONZE

Essay writing in a foreign language

730 points or higher on TOEIC

Study abroad or overseas internship (3 weeks or more)

TGL Camp (participate as organizer)

Overseas activity (1 week or more)

40 or more credits in foreign-language classes 30TG points or more

590 points or higher on TOEIC

Study abroad or overseas internship (3 weeks or more)

TGL Camp

Overseas activity (1 week or more)

20 or more credits in foreign-language classes 20TG points or more

TGL Camp 10 or more credits in foreign-language classes 10TG points or more

OR



I took the entrance exam for a national university and for Toyo University, and passed both. In considering where to go, my father mentioned that Toyo University emphasized internationalization, and as I found out more about that I gradually became more attracted to the university.

At Toyo University I wanted to accomplish something that I could point to as an achievement, so when I heard about the TGL program at the enrollment orientation, I set myself the goal of achieving the Gold ranking under the program during my four years as a student.

In the spring just before my second year, I studied abroad at Portland State University in the United States. And a year later I studied on the

island of Cebu in the Philippines. In the United States, I did a homestay while attending classes and to hear natural English being spoken was a big change compared to the sort of English I had studied in high school for my exams. In the Philippines, I studied hard to improve my score on TOEIC L&R, and thanks to that effort I was able to achieve that goal.

I wrote my graduation thesis in English on the topic of whether AI could truly make the lives of people more affluent. Undertaking this challenge of writing my thesis in English gave me a lot more confidence. Once I completed this English-language thesis, I was able to clear the requirements for obtaining the Gold ranking under the TGL program.

At the time I entered the university, my career goal was to be a teacher, but after participating in various programs during my four years as a student, including TGL, my outlook widened. During that time, I

became interested in the IT field and made a tentative decision to pursue an IT job after graduation. I was able to make a good impression in interviews thanks to the proactive efforts I made as a student, such as raising my TOEIC L&R score or obtaining the TGL Gold ranking.

It seems that my job will offer me a chance to do overseas-related work, so I am really looking forward to that. I want to continue to develop and hone my skills after graduation, using what I have learned at Toyo University as a springboard.

As a university student I was able to use English for the first time to study other subjects, rather than just studying it for English class, and this was an amazing experience for me. At Toyo University, you can learn about all sorts of things and in the process discover how true global human resources are people who can use English to communicate and share their outlook with other people. 　

The most challenging aspect of the TGL requirements is studying for TOEIC L&R. Before you can receive a Gold

ranking it is necessary to score at least 730 on that test. Since it is hard for an individual student to keep studying for the test, Toyo University offers the Achieve English course that provides support for reaching the target score, as well as numerous English conversation classes taught by native speakers. Thanks to this the students can keep up their motivation to study English. 　Along with support from the university, I also did various other

things in pursuit of the Gold ranking. For instance, I spoke English with friends who were aiming for the same goal and worked at a restaurant frequented by many foreign customers. In those ways, I was able to increase my opportunities to use English. And to gauge my ability I took the TOEIC L&R every month. After a year, I was able to raise my score from 540 to 790.

Toyo University

Established in 1887 by the philosopher Enryo Inoue. The founding spirit of the university was the idea that “all learning lies in philosophy” and the importance of “independence and self-support” and “knowledge and virtue.” On the occasion of its 125th anniversary, celebrated in 2012, the university announced the decision to focus on the three areas of philosophy education, internationalization, and career education. Toyo University was chosen as a Top Global University in 2014, and is now accelerating its efforts to cultivate global human resources capable of being active on the world stage and creating new value. In 2017, the university opened three new undergraduate faculties and four departments, including the Faculty of Global and Regional Studies (Department of Global Innovation Studies; Department of Regional Development Studies) and the Faculty of Information Networking for Innovation and Design (Department of Information Networking for Innovation and Design). Toyo University also opened a new campus in Tokyo’s Akabanedai district as the home of its Faculty of Information Networking for Innovation and Design. The university has a total of five campuses in the Tokyo metropolitan area, offering a wide range of education covering everything from the humanities to the sciences.

Emphasis on internationalization attracted me to Toyo University

Improving my English ability through university support and my own efforts

TGL ranking bolsters my job-hunting efforts. I’m looking for a job where I can us my English ability

Saki Miyakoshi Fourth-year student in Department of International Culture and Communication Studies, Faculty of Letters

Feedback from a Toyo

University student



Balancing communication skills with English ability is important

Rochelle Kopp, a native of New York, is the founder of Japan Intercultural Consulting, a consulting firm that provides support to Japanese companies seeking to expand their business overseas and foreign companies with bases in Japan. Her management consulting centers on cross-cultural communication and global human-resource training. She was already captivated by Japan as a high school student and went on as an undergraduate at Yale University to major in Japanese culture and then spend two years working for a Japanese bank in Tokyo. We interviewed Ms. Rochelle to hear her views on what skills are necessary for young people seeking to be global human resources, based on her familiarity with Japan and the needs of global business.

Globalization is advancing rapidly these days. It seems safe to say that we are no longer in an age where someone can live without interacting to some extent with people from other countries. I am conducting business in countries around the world, including the United States, Japan, Britain, and Mexico, and in so doing it has become clear to me that English is the official language of business. Particularly in management circles, everyone is using English as the common language for communication.

In addition, among executives of Japanese companies doing business overseas, it is necessary to learn the language of the country in which they

are operating. There is no better means of understanding the situation at the workplace than being able to communicate in the local language. Chinese or Spanish are languages spoken by many people around the world, so being able to communicate in them gives you an advantage. The key thing is not just to speak a foreign language, but to be able to express your own intentions and ideas. Expressing your own thoughts through speaking or writing is vital for anyone active globally.

As I already mentioned, the ability to at least speak English and express your own thoughts are necessary skills for anyone seeking to become a global human resource. One other important element is critical thinking. I had two years of experience working at a bank in Japan, and I recall that once a

supervisor told me that I was rikutsu-poi—which is to say, too logical or argumentative. Since Americans tend to view logical thinking as a good thing, that sort of expression is not used, and at first I didn’t quite understand the meaning. But later, once I knew it had a negative meaning, I got a bit angry.

Japanese are taught the importance of conveying their thoughts in the so-called format of kishotenketsu, where there are the four stages of introducing an idea, developing, suddenly twisting it around, and then offering the conclusion. As a story form it is quite

elegant, but I’m not sure if it could be considered logical. There is also a tradition of viewing the ambiguous as noble, such as anticipating another’s unspoken wishes, but again it does not seem so logical. Japan has ranked as high as 5th globally for its competitiveness according to some data, but when it comes to critical thinking it is low in the rankings, at around 70th place. In order for Japanese to be actively globally, it is essential for them to consider things logically and express themselves precisely. Critical thinking is a skill that can be adequately honed at universities. I think that before going out in the real world students should acquire the ability to grasp things logically.

Another important skill is the ability to understand diversity. Japanese companies are looking to citizens of other countries to secure global human resources, but in many cases after entering a company they are criticized if their actions are different than their Japanese coworkers.

Diversity has to have real content, rather than being superficial, in order to have any meaning. I think it is necessary for people to experience many different cultural environments from a young age and create their own opportunities to perceive the world’s diversity.

Rochelle KoppFounder of Japan Intercultural Consulting, a consulting firm that advises Japanese companies expanding overseas. Born in New York. After graduating from Yale University, she worked for consulting firms based in the United States. In 1988, she joined the Tokyo office of a Japanese bank. In 1993, the year after earning a graduate degree from the University of Chicago, her book The Rice-Paper Ceiling: Breaking Through Japanese Corporate Culture was published. Her current activities center on cross-cultural communication and the cultivation of global human resources.

～ What human resources are global companies looking for?～

Expressing your own ideas is important when learning a language

“Critical thinking” is a key skill

～ Global human resources sought by companies today～



Another element that global human resources need to have is a strong sense of curiosity. A curious attitude involves wanting to understand others at a deeper level, find out more about the world, and also figure out how to open up a new future for oneself. It is extremely useful for a person to have a wide array of interests and always be seeking out new knowledge. 　　

In Japan, the number of university students studying abroad is declining for reasons that include the perception that it would put them at a disadvantage when it comes to job hunting. It is also not uncommon for Japanese students to just skip classes, since they feel burned out after studying so hard for the university entrance exam. It is not so surprising that some are exhausted after spending many years on memorization-based studies, but it is a terrible waste nonetheless.

A person needs some free time for his or her sense of curiosity to emerge. But in Japan, studying is so intense for junior and senior high-school students that they have little time for themselves. When they become university students, they don’t really know how to effectively use the time they finally have available. Things are changing at a rapid pace these days. And that pace is only likely to get faster. Under these conditions, it will be hard for anyone to survive without taking an active interest in new things and continually learning. It is necessary to have the courage to face other people, society, and the world, and take a step forward, sustained by curiosity.

Maintaining a sense of curiosity

I think too much emphasis has been placed on grammar in English education in Japan. If the aim is to truly acquire English proficiency, it is necessary to have many opportunities to listen to and speak the language. There is no better approach than that. Even if you are in Japan, there are many ways to communicate with foreigners to improve your English ability, such as teaching Japanese to foreigners in your community or interacting with international students.

Today there are also many ways to easily encounter English through the Internet, such as online English lessons or language exchanges, as well as

courses offered by overseas universities such as Harvard. I know the example of one employee of a Japanese company who came to Silicon Valley for a training course. Since he was fluent in English, I asked him if he had lived abroad, and he told me that once he found out he would be attending the training program he decided to practice English conversation every day online. Things have changed so much from the time I was learning Japanese over 20 years ago, so I’m a bit jealous. I thought that such opportunities should not be missed.

Practical opportunities needed to raise English proficiency

If you aim to not simply be a global human resource but a “global elite,” it will widen the scope of your activities. To do that it is vital to expand your English vocabulary. Knowing a wide range of vocabulary shows that you are well educated and makes it possible to better understand others. Entrance exams for American universities test vocabulary knowledge as well. Since English vocabulary is so rich, reflecting the influence of so many languages, notably Latin, German, and French, it is crucial to be able to select the appropriate words.

I am often asked what can be done to expand vocabulary knowledge and refine English speaking skills, and some of the things I always recommend people watch are TED Talks, films from the 1950s and 1960s, and the speeches of President Kennedy and President Obama. Such English is quite refined and is appropriate English to take as a model when aiming to become a global elite.

Creating a more refined impression by expanding your English vocabulary

Some Japanese mistake globalization for “Americanization.” But in fact, “global” of course encompasses the entire world, not just America. Sometimes Japanese are rather self-effacing, but their own country, Japan, is also very much part of the global world, so there is no reason to put down their own country. You can seek to understand how people from other cultures are different, while at the same time establishing your own identity as a Japanese, and then consider how to bridge those differences.

There are many methods to acquire the necessary grounding to become a global human resource, but one extremely important thing is to have the experience of living in a foreign country while you are young. I think that coming into contact as a student with people from other countries and learning from that experience allows you to develop the sort of habits that will put you on the path toward becoming a business person who can be active on the global stage.

Seizing opportunities to interact with foreigners

～ In order to become a global human resource～


Global Human Resources Training Program

Presentations on the experience of diversity

First “KIZASHI” eventIIBC, together with the Tobitate! (Leap for Tomorrow) Study Abroad Initiative and Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU),

held the first “Consider the Future Talk Event—KIZASHI,” in order to give young people raised in the highly conformist

Japanese culture a chance to experience the world’s diversity. The six featured speakers in the event, who are active in fields

that transcend various boundaries, conveyed their own experiences.

Profile of 6 people who are

living their life the full

One of the speakers was Mizuto Aoto, founding

CEO of DAncing Einstein Co., Ltd., which engages

in business related to neuroscience. At the event, he

explained how he had been a high-school dropout

in Japan but later enrolled in UCLA and was able

to graduate ahead of schedule. He emphasized

that what he learned from his experience was to be

“excited about the unknown future and know that

chances will come your way.”

Another speaker, Hiroki Katanaka, was a soccer

player who was talented enough to be chosen as

a representative on Japan’s under-15 team, but

quit his university soccer team in the second year.

Attending a university course raised his interest in the

issue of refugees, which led him to study about the

issue in Italy and South Africa on the Tobitate! Study

Abroad Initiative. He spoke about the daily struggles

he experienced that made him wish for a society in

which he could lived according to his own style.

Mai Hoai Giang, a native of Vietnam living in

Japan, talked about her company Cyclo Limousine,

which provides a taxi service around the area of

Tokyo Station and Ginza using the traditional

three-wheel “cyclos” of her native country. She

explained how, even though running a business

was hard at times, she is thrilled to be able to use

a beautiful aspect of Vietnamese culture to serve

as a bridge between Vietnam and Japan.

David Yano, another speaker, explained about

how he was raised in Japan by his Ghanaian

mother and Japanese father, and later went to

Ghana in search of his identity. He did not find the

answer there, however, which made him realize

that it could only ultimately be found within

himself. He encouraged the students to “look

inside themselves, rather outside.” Many of the

participating students were strongly moved by his

unique way of expressing himself.

Sayaka Uchiyama started up a company

to cultivate herbs in Myanmar, but it did not go

smoothly ad she had to abandon the company.

She explained how she had often felt down after

that, but then realized that had not really lost

anything. The experience made her realize what

is truly important. She asked the students what

was important to them and whether they were

nurturing such things.

The next speaker, Mare Kasuga, a musical

actor, explained how her dream is to appear in

a Broadway performance. But even if a dream

can change your future, she said, it’s important

to “follow your heart and live in a way that suits

you.” At the end she brought the event to a

climax by performing together with her friend and

colleague Harue Suzuki,

A reception attended by many of the

participants followed the speakers’ presentation, allowing both sides to

engage in lively interaction. Some of the comments from participants

included the following: “I just quit my sports club, so to hear someone

talk about a similar experience gave me confidence about my decision”

(first-year female university student); “I have been worrying about my

own identity, so what I heard was encouraging” (fourth-year male

university student); “I took part in the event because the theme of

diversity and conformity interests me. The presentations made me realize

that I had not seriously thought about what is most important to me”

(female company employee in her 20s). Such comments reveal how the

event really struck a chord among the participants.

Mizuto Aoto Sayaka Uchiyama

Mai Hoai Giang

Hiroki Katanaka Mare Kasuga

David Yano

Photos of the event and information on the global human resource training program can be found on the Facebook page: http://fb.com/iibc.GHRDThe IIBC global human resource training program TV broadcasts (from March 2019) can be accessed here: https://bit.ly/2UVlbUF


I always loved to make people laugh, so after graduating from university I wanted to work in the entertainment industry. After considering various options, such as plays or standup comedy, I encountered the rakugo artist Katsura Bunshi V. I was captivated by the depth of this comedic art and decided to become his apprentice.

The system of rakugo in Edo (Kanto region) is different from that of Kamigata (Kansei region). In the case of Edo rakugo, there are three different ranks, zenza, futatsume, and shin’uchi , each requiring several years of training, but for Kamigata rakugo, of which I am a part, a rakugo artist is free to perform as he likes after spending a certain number of years as an apprentice.

As a university student, I liked English and would go to bars where there were a lot of foreigners from ships traveling through Japan. Once a foreigner asked me to perform a bit of rakugo. Asked to perform on the spot I could not speak well, and he said, “I can’t really imagine what Japanese people find funny.” That comment stuck with me and inspired a desire to make foreigners laugh by performing rakugo in English.

Around that time, an offer came from the Japan Society for Laughter and Humor Studies to perform Japanese comedy in the United States. And, of course, I welcomed that chance. After around a year of preparation, I performed rakugo there in English for the first time. I was nervous before the performance,

but there was a lot of laughter in the audience and I think that I helped to overturn the image many had that Japanese are “silent and serious.” After that performance, I received many requests to perform in the English-speaking world, as well as in such countries as India, Brunei, and Malaysia. So far I have performed English-language rakugo in 25 countries.

One performance that really sticks out in my mind was in Saudi Arabia. For religious reasons, men and women were not allowed to sit face to face, so a wall separated them in the theater, with me sitting in between. It was a new experience for me to perform to an audience separated like that. Moreover, since the women were wearing veils, I could only detect their laughter by a slight movement of their heads. It was a bit of an uneasy feeling to not know the audience’s reaction, but that was a valuable experience.

Last year I was invited to the San Francisco Cherry Blossom Festival. There were many Japanese-Americans in the audience, so when I performed the story Hatsutenjin, about a father and son who set out to a festival hand in hand, many of the older people in the audience told me later that the story brought tears of nostalgia to their eyes. The younger ones in the audience often did not know much about Japanese culture, so I was happy to hear that the performance could give them a better idea of their Japanese roots.

Bringing Japanese comedy to the world

Difficulty of translating rakugo into English

Confidence comes through repeated performance for both rakugo and English Katsura Kaishi, who has earned a name for himself as the premier raconteur of rakugo comic tales in English, delivered his first performance in America just four years after debuting as rakugo artist. He continues to perform energetically around the world, while also teaching at the university level. In our interview with Mr. Katsura, he talked about what inspired him to try rakugo in English, the difficulty of translating Japanese comic stories into English, and how he teaches the art of rakugo to Japanese students.

My turning point brought about by English (Part 5)—Katsura Kaishi—

I translate the rakugo stories into English myself, and then have a native speaker check my translations. But more than just translating into English, it is necessary to adjust the content to suit the audiences. For example, the classic rakugo story “Manju Kowai” talks about bean-filled buns and green tea, but for the English version it was easier to understand by changing that to pizza and cola.

Japanese has many different first-person pronouns as well as dialects that can be used to distinguish characters, so it is possible to have a story with many characters. But in English, it gets a bit too confusing if there are a lot of characters. So in English it is important to give each characters

distinctive mannerisms, such as eating something for instance, so that the story development will be clear.

With just a certain word or way of speaking it is possible in rakugo to make something much more interesting. For example, I wanted to know what a character should say in English for a situation in a story where a character barely avoids to run into a rickshaw, and one foreigner suggested using the expression, “I almost peed my pants.” Following that sort of advice has made my performances much more interesting to foreign audiences. Whether in English or Japanese, the way of saying something is key.

Rakugo artist

Katsura Kaishi


During the Taisho period (1912–1926), foreign writers visiting Japan had the chance to see performances of kabuki, so that art, with its flamboyant costumes, makeup, and other visual charms, was presented outside Japan at an early date, with the word entering the dictionary. But rakugo was completely overlooked. I think this is because the depth of rakugo, as an art that only uses words for expression, is not easy to convey to others.

Rakugo is known for making people laugh through little strange things about a character, but some of the audience members in America pointed out that I didn’t seem to have confidence in my English. I tried various things to bridge the gap in understanding, and gradually my way of expression became more exaggerated. To hone my skills, I spent around a year performing in the United States. And whenever I used over-the-top expressions or gestures it got big laughs, so that became engrained into my act. So when I came back to

Japan the audiences sometimes said that I was going too far, and I couldn’t get so many laughs. Japanese like something that “pulls” you in, like the moment just before a firework explodes in the sky or before two sumo wrestlers square off; whereas in the English-speaking world it is more the “push” and the “statement” that are emphasized. The two cultures are quite different so artists thinking of performing in front of an English-speaking audience may need have to take a step or two forward compared to what they do in front of a Japanese audience.

The thrill of making a foreign audience laugh

Currently, I am a visiting professor at Osaka Shoin Women’s University and a part-time instructor at Nagoya University. At the former, I teach kobanashi and rakugo in English, and the class culminates with a performance on campus in front of an audience of around 200, including foreigners. At the beginning of the class, many of the students can barely introduce themselves in English, but I start by having them split into pairs to practice kobanashi storytelling, and over the 15 classes they improve greatly, under a lot of praise from me. The class

awakens in some the ambition to become performers, and they make great strides forward. By the time they get up on the stage at the end, not only can they speak more English than before but they also have acquired performing skills. It is very satisfying for them to not only convey the meaning in English but also get a laugh from the audience members. Many of the students do well later in their job-hunting, apparently, and there are even some who have gone on to become professional rakugo artists.

The more you preform, the more confidence you build

In performing overseas I’ve come to realize that nothing is more useful than using English as a tool. Even if your words are not skillful, the key thing is to convey an idea in your own words. There are all sorts of accents that differ between country and region, and native speakers are the overwhelming minority among people using English. So even if your pronunciation is not so good, there is no reason to hesitate to speak. It’s important to be proactive. If you can speak in your own words, you’ll be able to express your ideas better than if an interpreter were intervening for you. And if you can speak English, you can have fun on your travels and life become so much more interesting.

When I was staying in New York, I created a new rakugo story. The theme is how strange it is that some things are considered polite and others aren’t, like how Japanese will continue to bow even after someone has exited an elevator and the doors have shut, but at the same time slurp their noodles. The story got a lot of laughs and is now an integral part of my regular act.

For my overseas shows, the stories in English I have honed over 20 or so years of experience can be performed without almost any glitch. I think that shows the power that comes from the experience of repeatedly performing in front of an audience. But when it comes to performing a story for the first time, whether overseas or in Japan, I get nervous. I always wonder if the jokes will work or not. I think the same is true with a self-introduction or a presentation in terms of the peace of mind that comes from building up experience. Once you can see that there is a good reaction, you can settle down and relax.

It is often said in the world of rakugo that performing a joke in front of a live audience one time has the same value as practicing it 50 times by yourself. I think the same is true of learning English: you need to actually use it and get a response, rather than just speaking it in your mind.

The enterprising spirit of never giving up

A junior high school English textbook used throughout Japan had a section on my rakugo performances in English. And currently I am holding live English rakugo events to convey to children in Japan how fun it is to use English. I am also trying to promote kobanashi and rakugo in Engish, such as my hosting of a kobanashi contest for junior high and high school students. The students participating in the contest really get into studying kobanashi, just like the university students teach, because nothing can match the satisfaction that comes from making someone laugh.

For those thinking of studying abroad, I would recommend that they memorize a kobanashi story. As long as you have a bath robe, a towel, and a folding fan you can easily perform your story overseas.

My future goal is raise the awareness of rakugo overseas so that it becomes famous enough to be a regular entry in English dictionary. Some Japanese were disapproving of English rakugo at first, but many of them have finally accepted the idea.

There are other similar examples, like the California roll becoming a famous sushi item in the United States or judo becoming an Olympic sport. So it is worth giving it your all, without giving up, to reach a goal. That is what I intend to do.

My turning point brought about by English (Part 5)—Katsura Kaishi—

Katsura Kaishi’s “Rakugo in English” website:http://eigo-rakugo.com/


Using English to convey “an experience with a different culture that changed me”

10th IIBC Essay Contest Award Ceremony

The IIBC Essay Contest was launched in 2009 to mark the 30th anniversary

of TOEIC, and the 10th contest was held in fiscal 2018. Essays were received

for the “Final Selection” and “Incentive Award” from more than 1,700

individuals addressing the theme: “An experience with a different culture that

changed me.”

On November 10 (Sat.), 2018, the award ceremony for the contest

was held at the Hotel New Otani in Tokyo. The ceremony was attended by

around 50 people, including the award winners, judges, past winners, and the

students’ teachers and guardians.

The Grand Prize winner Yuichi Masaoka, a first-year student at

Kogyokusha Junior and Senior High School, was chosen among the 181 Final

Selection essays. In his acceptance speech, he sincerely thanked his family

and teachers in Japan and overseas for supporting him, as well as expressing

his appreciation for the contest organizers and officials.

At the reception after the ceremony, the students and teachers present

had a chance to interact to enjoy talking about a range of topics, such as

essay writing, living overseas, and future plans.

Schools participating in the Final Selection and Incentive Award are listed in the IIBC website: https://www.iibc-global.org/iibc/activity/essay/2018.html

Special Incentive Price

Special Prize

America-JapanSociety

President's Prize

Yuichi Masaoka (1st year; Kogyokusha Junior and Senior High School)

Yuka Hoshimi (4th year; Koishikawa Secondary Education School)Yuriko Kon (1st year; Shoei Girl’s Junior and Senior High School)

Himari Seamans (2nd year; Dokkyo Saitama Junior and Senior High School)

Domu Sakai (2nd year; Waseda Shibuya Senior High School)

Rin Yabiku (1st year; La Salle High School)

Prize winners

First Prize

Second Prize

Himari Seamans (2nd year; Dokkyo Saitama Junior and Senior High School)

Yudai Tanaka (2nd year; Tsuda Gakuen High School)

Double award winner Double award winner

Yu Go（4th year; Koishikawa Secondary Education School）

25 schools, 1,508 students

Shikoh Hirayabayashi (2nd year; Seiko Gakuin High School)

Yudai Tanaka (2nd year; Tsuda Gakuen High School)


　

I have been a member of the English debate club since entering high school, and I wanted to find some way to test my own ability to express myself in English. After searching the Internet to find out about such opportunities, I came across the IIBC essay contest. The theme of the contest was “a nearby cross-cultural experience that changed me.” Since I had an experience of living in Belgium when I was a young child, I decided to enter the contest to write about it.

I moved to Belgium at the age of six when my father was transferred there for his job and spent the first six months in a Dutch-language kindergarten. At first it was hard for me to get along with the other kids, since I didn’t speak the language, but when I joined a circle that played soccer, I was able to bridge the gap through that sport. I continued to use sports as a way to communicate beyond language during the three years I attended a British elementary school after returning to Japan. Those experiences left such a deep impression on me that I wanted to write about them in my essay.

After mulling over the structure of my essay for quite some time, I sat down to write it and finished in just two or three hours. After setting it aside for a couple days, I started to revise it. I knew that the contest has many applicants every year, so I wanted to present an essay that would catch the judges’ attention. To do that, I decided to not stick too closely to the typical structure of introduction, body, and conclusion. I paid particular attention to the beginning of the essay. From my Japanese classes I had learned the importance of grabbing the reader’s attention from the beginning, so I tried to hone my essay toward that end. I also tried to repeat some words at the beginning and the end, such as “silence,” to leave an impression in the mind of the reader.

This summer will mark seven years since I returned to Japan from Belgium, but I am trying to maintain my English reading ability in various ways, such as attending an English school two hours a week and frequently reading English-language news. When I entered the essay contest, I was not expecting so much. Although I had some confidence in my English writing, to be honest I was taken aback when I learned of winning the Grand Prize. It was surprising to have such an excellent but unforeseen result, but I am so happy and proud to receive this honor, and I think it will be a great source of motivation in my English study.

The supplemental prize of participating in a short-term AFS study-abroad program is a wonderful opportunity for me. I chose to go to the UK from among the eight destinations. I want to return to my starting point of the time when I attended a British school, and use that to take a new step forward. I want to keep striving every day to make use of my language ability while acquiring useful skills and experiences so that one day I can contribute to society in a positive way.

The eastern sun broke the silence of darkness and announced the beginning of another winter day to the little town of Leuven, Belgium. It wasn’t always a pleasant experience, to make my way, through the freezing dawn, to a Kindergarten where I had no one to talk to.

It was when I was 6 years old that my family moved to Belgium, where I had no choice but to go to a local kindergarten where everyone spoke Dutch, a language that I did not understand at all. Of course, I wasn’t completely helpless, for I knew the two words: “toilet!” and “help!”, both of which are, needless to say, English.

So it was, that I was on my way to another day at the Dutch kindergarten, not expecting to find out that I had a universal means of communication: football. As soon as I saw a crowd gathering around a football in the playground, I made my mind up to join them, and I scored! Occupied by excitement and joy, me and the Belgian boys rushed to each other and embraced one another. This is how my friendship started on that alien planet, and after ten years, it still remains in my mind as an unforgettable moment.

It is more than evident that this experience had taught me a universal and timeless law: sports are a universal language. Communication can be about conveying and sharing emotions without the use of language: which include, playing sports, dancing to music and sharing pieces of art. They are a universal means of communication that allows anyone to get closer to anyone from anywhere of the globe; and that is where I find the solution to overcoming cultural and language barriers, especially in an entangled world as today’s.

As I moved onto primary school and joined a British school in Brussels, there no longer was a barrier for me, for I knew what to do. I was especially fortunate, because it was on my first year at the new British school that the 2010 Football World Cup was held. Every morning we would find ourselves highfiving each other to share the excitements

of last night’s game, and every breaktime we would be laughing at our original goal performances. It has been a truly glorious time to be connected interculturally with one little ball.

To further expand on this, let us look into a historical example of a sport connecting, not just individuals, but also nations. In 1971, at the World Table Tennis Championships in Nagoya, a 19-year old American player hopped on to the bus of the Chinese national team. All the Chinese players on board directed an eye of suspicion at the unexpected guest, but the silence was soon broken when one of the Chinese players started talking to the American through an interpreter, which resulted in the exchanging of pictures and T-shirts, despite the Chinese government’s prohibition on having contact with the players of the U.S. After this incident was reported worldwide, Chairman Mao Zedong perceived this as a chance, and invited the Americans to a Ping Pong competition in China, only 3 days after the event. With the Cold War at its height, this tiny connection through sport united political enemies, broke 22 years of diplomatic silence, and even lead to the visiting of China by U.S. president Nixon on the following year.

It must not go without saying that Japan is lucky to have the opportunity to play the same role it played in the ping pong diplomacy in the next two years: 2019 Rugby World Cup, and the 2020 Olympic Games. Now, I strongly feel that it is my job to make use of my experience and my linguistic abilities to be of some help in globally connecting our world in Japan again, like how I built friendship in Belgium and how Ping-Pong once formed international relationships.

Let me conclude with Mao Zedong’s comment on Ping Pong diplomacy: “The little ball moves the big ball.”

I firmly believe that the same goes with football, and every other sport, and that sports are always there for you to break and overcome any intercultural silence. [694words]

“The Little Ball Moves the Big Ball”

I focused on the opening, to capture the reader’s attentionInterview with First Prize winner

Yuichi Masaoka1st year studentKogyokusha Junior and Senior High School

FirstPrize 優秀賞特別賞

Essay of First Prize


IIBC TOPICSIIBC TOPICS

～ Let’s speak in English! Chat, Challenge, Change～

The number of foreign tourists visiting Kanazawa has increased since the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen, giving local residents more opportunities to encounter foreign languages. The 2018 IIBC ENGLISH CAFÉ in Kanazawa was the first such event to be held in the Hokuriku area.

Researching the situation concerning English awareness in Kanazawa uncovered the fact that, although people there realize the need for English, many are beginning level English learners who find it difficult to make progress. In response to this situation, the café event focused on ways for participants to have fun speaking English.

October 3 (Wed.) to 7 (Sun.), 2018

Harmonie Kanazawa / Kanazawa Music Bar Terrace

On the first two days, classes were held on the topics of how to greet people in

a hospitable way and help foreigners sightseeing in Kanazawa. The participants

learned phrases in English to express their hospitality to foreign visitors or give

them directions, as well as ways to introduce them to famous spots in Kanazawa.

In the latter half of the class, the participants formed pairs to practice the

expressions they had learned.

On the third day of the café, the Hokuriku English Party was held so that

Japanese and foreign participants could enjoy speaking English in a casual

atmosphere. Over 150 participants took part in the “English challenge” of

ordering a drink in English to get it for free. This enjoyable Friday evening event

gave Japanese participants a chance to interact in English with foreigners as well

as with each other.

Over the weekend, “Free Talking Table”

sessions were held that included special guest

presentations and conversations with native

speakers. On Saturday, the speaker was Kenichi

Morioka, who introduced himself as once being

the only Facebook employee who could not speak

English. He explained how he learned English and

gave the audience some concrete tips. On Sunday,

the final day of the café, Ippei Inoue, an instructor from an NHK program on the

basics of hospitality in English, gave a lecture on the differences in hospitality

between Japan and the English-speaking world. The presentations inspired many

of the audience members to study English more.

Overview of the event

IIBC ENGLISH CAFÉ in Kanazawa

IIBC × Junior Chamber International Kanazawa

I realized there are more people in Kanazawa who want to speak English than I had imagined

Our company’s focus is on inbound tourism to Japan, and we work to develop

restaurants in hotels and other locations in the Tatemachi district of Kanazawa.

When we received the invitation from the Junior Chamber International

Kanazawa to participate in the IIBCENGLISH CAFÉ, I thought: “This is just what

I was waiting for!” The event seemed to perfectly match the interests of our

company and of the Junior Chamber International Kanazawa.

In recent years, more foreign tourists are visiting Kanazawa, but apart

from a few involved in the tourism industry, not so many people seem to

be interacting with those tourists in English since they feel the hurdle to

communication is too high.

The five-day café brought together a wide range of participants, from

those who could barely speak English to those who had scored 990 points on

TOEIC L&R, and many took part on every single day of the event. The Hokuriku

English Party on Friday evening in particular turned out to be a big hit even

though there was not much time to promote it. I had though around 80 people

would show up, but in fact we had twice that number. I saw many Japanese

speaking English with each other at the event, which gave me a strong sense

of how the desire to use English in the city is much stronger than I had though.

Our company organizes language exchange events at the restaurants we

manage, but the IIBC ENGLISH CAFÉ made me realize the importance of setting

the bar a bit lower so that anyone can feel free to use English. Collaborating

with IIBC gave us the chance to encounter many concepts we would not have

realized on our own, so I really hope that we can work together in the future.

Comments from participating companies

Nao Yasuda DirectorSlacktide Co., Ltd.

IIBC ENGLISH CAFÉ


～ Let’s encounter English to build mutual ties!～

Event raises disaster awareness among foreigners and spurs internationalization and inbound tourism response

Mashiki is a town that was severely damaged by the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake. This first IIBC ENGLISH CAFÉ in Kyushu was organized with Masiki-cho Mirai Talk, which is carrying out various activities to help revive the community.

In the wake of the Kumamoto Earthquake, many of the foreigners living in the community had difficulty with regard to finding evacuation sites or explaining to others what sort of damage they had suffered. The café event prepared contents related to that experience and in preparation for welcoming foreign players and tourists for the 2019 Rugby World Cup games that will be hosted in Kumamoto.

Mashiki Mirai Talk is an organization composed of high-schoolers to those

in their 30s who gather to consider the recovery effort in Mashiki and what

can be done to contribute to the town’s future. I am actually a Kumamoto

prefectural government worker who was sent to Mashiki to formulate its

recovery plan, and I started the organization in October 2016 after noticing

that not many young residents were involved in the public hearings about

recovery plans. At first we mainly discussed the town’s future, but subsequently

we launched activities and held a variety of events. The IIBC ENGLISH CAFÉ is

part of those efforts.

At first, when I heard about co-hosting the café with IIBC, I was a bit

worried about whether Mashiki would be able to hold a successful English-

language event or not. But they more I considered it, the more excited I got.

And my attitude changed toward thinking that as long as the participants

could enjoy using English it would be a success. I was amazed that it turned

out to be so hugely popular, with a waiting list for participants. We also

received feedback by email from those who told us how happy they were to

have an English event hosted locally. The experience showed me how many in

our little town of 30,000 people are enthusiastic about learning English. The

Egao Kenko Stadium that will host Rugby World Cup matches in 2019 is just a

stone’s throw from Mashiki, and Kumamoto Airport is also located within our

town, so we will have a rare opportunity to have many foreigners coming to

the area. I strongly hope that the IIBC ENGLISH CAFÉ will serve to accelerate

our recovery and internationalization efforts so that we can take advantage of

this opportunity.

December 1 (Sat.) to 2 (Sun.), 2018 Mashiki Farmers Village Fam

Overview of the event

In the session for learning English related to disaster situations, the participants

picked up ways to use English to explain evacuation procedures and evacuation

sites to foreigners unfamiliar with the area to set their minds at ease. The session

on basic English greetings taught the participants how to great foreign visitors

as a way of preparing for the 2019

Rugby World Cup matches that will be

hosted nearby. The students split up

into pairs to practice greetings and self-

introductions.

The event included presentations in

English by students and adults on their

experiences over the past two years

since the disaster and an appearance

by the professional basketball player

Tshilidzi Nephawe of the Kumamoto

Volters B.League team, which has

a deep connection to the town of

Mashiki, as well as other sessions such

as instruction in English on how to

make hamburgers. Residents of Mashiki and nearby communities enjoyed the

event, since normally they do not have many opportunities to use English in

their daily lives.

Comments from supporting organizations

IIBC ENGLISH CAFÉ in Mashiki, Kumamoto Prefecture

IIBC × Mashiki-machi Mirai Talk

Yutaro TogamiMashiki Mirai Talk

A limited-time café organized by IIBC. The event offers participants a chance to enjoy communicating in English in a relaxed setting. In response to English-related needs in areas outside of Japan’s main urban centers, the events in 2018 were held in Kanazawa and Kumamoto Prefectures.


Public testing schedule

TOEIC® Listening & Reading Test

TOEIC® Speaking & Writing Tests

TOEIC® Speaking Test

TOEIC Bridge® Listening & Reading Tests

*The application periods above are for applications by private individuals. For information on the application period for group testing (excluding the TOEIC Speaking Test), please consult the official IIBC website. Please note that the public testing schedule is subject to change. The latest schedule information is available on the official website.

(*1) Internet application period. Please refer to the official website for information on the application starting times and deadlines, as well as applications via convenience store terminals.(*2) Internet application period. Please refer to the official website for information on the application starting times and deadlines.

July 12 (Fri.), 2019

October 4 (Fri.), 2019

December 20 (Fri.), 2019

April 17 (Fri.), 2019

March 4 (Mon.) to May 9 4 (Thu.), 2018

May 13 (Mon.), 2018 to July 25 (Thur.), 2019

July 29 (Mon.) to October 10 4 (Thu.), 2018

November 5 (Mon.), 2018 to January 30 (Thur.), 2020

71st

72nd

73rd

74th

June 9 (Sun.), 2018

September 1 (Sun.), 2019

November 17 (Sun.), 2018

March 15 (Sun.), 2020

April 9 (Tue.), 2019

May 14 (Tue), 2019

June 25 (Tue.), 2019

July 23 (Tue.), 2019

August 27 (Tue.), 2019

October 29 (Tue.), 2019

November 26 (Tue.), 2019

December 24 (Tue.), 2019

January 14 (Tue.), 2020

December 14 (Fri.), 2018 to January 29 (Tue.), 2019

February 1 (Fri.), 2019 to February 26 (Tue.), 2019

March 1 (Fri.) to April 2 (Tue.), 2019

April 5 (Fri.) to May 14 (Tue.), 2019

May 17 (Fri.) to June 18 (Tue.), 2019

June 21 (Fri.) to August 6 (Tue.), 2019

August 9 (Fri.) to September 10 (Tue.), 2019

September 13 (Fri.) to October 8 (Tue.), 2019

October 11 (Fri.) to October 29 (Tue.), 2019

238th

239th

240th

241st

242nd

243rd

244th

245th

246th

March 10 (Sun.), 2019

April 14 (Sun.), 2019

May 26 (Sun.), 2019

June 23 (Sun.), 2019

July 28 (Sun.), 2019


October 27 (Sun.), 2019


December 15 (Sun.), 2019

April 12 (Tue.), 2019

May7 (Tue.), 2019

June 18 (Tue.), 2019

July 9 (Tue.), 2019

August 6 (Tue.), 2019

September 3 (Tue.), 2019

October 1 (Tue.), 2019

November 5 (Tue.), 2019



February 1 21 (Fri.) to March 1 (Fri.), 2019

February 22 (Fri.) to March 22 (Fri.), 2019

March 22 (Fri.) to May 2 (Fri.), 2019

April 26 (Fri.) to May 24 (Fri.), 2019

May 24 (Fri.) to June 21 (Fri.), 2019

June 21 (Fri.) to July 19 1 (Fri.), 2019

July 19 (Fri.) to August 16 (Fri.), 2019

August 16 (Fri.) to September 20 (Fri.), 2019

September 20 (Fri.) to October 18 (Fri.), 2019

October 18 (Fri.) to November 15 (Fri.), 2019

March 17 (Sun.), 2019

April 7 (Sun.), 2019

May 19 (Sun.), 2019

June 9 (Sun.), 2019

July 7 (Sun.), 2018

August 4 (Sun.), 2019

September 1(Sun.), 2019

October 6 (Sun.), 2019


December 1 (Sun.), 2019

TOEIC Bridge® Speaking & Writing Tests August 2 (Fri.), 2019

October 11 (Fri.), 2019

December 27 (Fri.), 2019

April 3 (Fri.), 2019

May 17 (Fri.) to June 14 (Fri.), 2019

July 26 (Fri.) to August 23 (Fri.), 2019

October 11 (Fri.) to November 8 (Fri.), 2019

January 17 (Fri.) to February 14 (Fri.), 2020

June 17 (Mon.) to June 21 (Fri.)

August 26 (Mon.) to August 30 (Fri.)

November 11 (Mon.) to November 15 (Fri.)

February 17 (Mon.) to February 21 (Fri.)

June 30 6 (Sun.), 2019



March 1 (Sun.), 2020

June 2019 launch!

ETS, the ETS logo, PROPELL, TOEIC and TOEIC BRIDGE are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service, Princeton, New Jersey, U.S.A., and used in Japan under license.Portions are copyrighted by Educational Testing Service and used with permission.

IIBC official website: http://www.iibc-global.org

Inquiries:Tokyo Sanno Grand Building, 2-14-2 Nagata-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Tel. 03-5521-5901

Nagoya Office Nishiki Park Building, 2-4-3 Nishiki, Naka-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi; Tel. 052-220-0282

Osaka Office Midosuji SG Building, 3-6-1 Bakuromachi, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka; Tel. 06-6258-0222

Media inquiries:Public Relations Office Sanno Grand Building, 2-14-2 Nagata-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Tel. 03-3581-4761

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