I'm glad to make your acquaintance. As of July 1, I have been appointed Vice President of JASSO's Student Exchange Department and operations related to Japanese language education, and Superintendent of the Tokyo International Exchange Center. I worked at an insurance company for the past 30-some years. Established in 1892, the firm has a long history and tradition.

 

The intensity of domestic and international market competitions has escalated every year in the past decade or so amid the end of the Japanese convoy system and of certain Japanese companies or groups being exempt from the Competition law, and also with the liberation of our trade with other countries. The added impact of the recent financial crisis has resulted in a frequent occurrence of mergers and acquisitions and thus reduced the overall number of companies. With competition becoming even more severe in quality and quantity because of this, to develop and expand it has become necessary to challenge existing conventions by getting rid of thoughts and actions in line with past experiences, and aim for reform by creating value that revolves on a new axle.

 

 

In reality, though, this is easier said than done because reform always goes hand in hand with the concept of risk. There is no reform without taking risks. Creating one's environment is the key to bringing about reform.

The presence of confrontation and contradiction also becomes the driving force for growth. In a world without confrontation and contradiction, one is almost certainly guaranteed to maintain the status quo.

 

 

Japanese companies are good at engaging in "improvement" activities, and have achieved a certain level of performance in this sphere until now. But this is no longer enough to resolve future issues. Back when Japan thrived on the "catch up and outrun" strategy, society sought children who were good at absorbing knowledge. In light of the current circumstances, however, the Japanese youth must have the ability to not only accumulate knowledge but also form new, unique ideas, or discover issues on their own and resolve them. It appears as though these youths must also have a passion for challenge and the power to act in any job they undertake, and a sense of balance to communicate with the people they deal with.

The human resources we need will not develop if we stick to the notion that graduating from a prominent university with fine grades will get you a good job, or if we simply overrate academic performance.

Considerable weight has been placed on the social responsibility of companies and organizations in recent years. These entities need well-balanced human resources with a strong sense of ethics.

And these human resources will only develop through the study of liberal arts such as philosophy, fine arts and history.

One way of resolving this is by adequately recognizing teachers who have a passion for educating their students.

 

Another point to consider is that when business is sluggish, companies tend to emphasize financial performance and lose sight of the field of their existence – customer satisfaction.

Customers' complaints and opinions are important sources of information for reform. Employees watch their superiors closely. Companies convey an important message to their employees by demonstrating that superiors take their time and make a serious effort in solving clients' complaints.

 

An organization's sense of values, culture, etc. has a large impact on its employees' principle of action.

The united actions taken by an organization and its employees toward reform can lead to the provision of high-quality services to clients, the improvement of employees' abilities, the streamlining of operations, and more. And these, in turn, will lead to happiness for employees and their families and to enhance social contribution for the organization.

At present, the world faces an economic and industrial slowdown.
For a brighter future, and to broaden your individual possibilities, I hope that you, the generation of tomorrow, will be proactive in your thinking and conduct.

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How do you do, everyone? My name is Sekiguchi Masayuki. I have assumed the position of Executive Director of the Student Exchange Department of Japan Student Service Organization (JASSO) since this April. I am grateful for this opportunity to greet you and sincerely hope that your years in Japan are rich and rewarding ones.

 

Are you familiar with the “mechanism of consciousness?”

 

Let me please write about a speech titled “The Mechanism of Consciousness” given by a president of a food company at a job seminar for international and Japanese students held by Chugoku Branch of JASSO (Hiroshima) two years ago when I was the head of the office. I still remember very well that I found myself being in a very positive frame of mind when I was listening to the speech with international students at that time.

 

In the speech, the president introduced four phrases told by his teachers or superiors who had influenced him: Let’s think about everything in a positive way; let’s have a positive mind-set; think through to the point where your thought can get to the subconscious level; write down your dream and hope and keep them with you, and then they will come true.

 

In other words, you should always think in a bright, favorable and positive way. Even when something bad has happened to you, you should think that you are lucky because what had happened to you was not as bad as it could have been. Needless to say, if you have such a positive way of thinking, fortune will knock at your door. As regard an issue concerning your work, you should think about it, tackle it and do it anyway over and over again. You should also think your work through till what you have thought gets to your subconscious. Then your brain will start thinking about your work automatically for you, and you can achieve various things at work. Furthermore, you should write down your dream or your target on a small piece of paper and keep it in your notebook. You will naturally see the dream or the target every time you open your notebook, repetition of which will make the dream or the target settle down in your subconscious. Subsequently, you yourself won’t have to try to achieve your dream but your body and brain will automatically proceed to the direction of your dream, and your dream will come true. This is roughly about what he talked about in his speech.

 

Of course, I understand that everything doesn’t always turn out well in reality, but I have written down “Let’s think about everything in a positive way.” and “Think through to the point where your thought can get to the subconscious level.” in my notebook. I privately expect that the “mechanism of consciousness” works when I see the phrases every time I open my notebook and everything will bring about a better result, even slightly, than before. I am now thinking about writing some of my dreams and wishes on paper and taking it with me. Isn’t it great if just one of them becomes reality?

 

I believe it is a wonderful idea for you, too, to put down your dream or your wish on a slip of paper and tuck it into your notebook. I truly hope you can achieve your dream before long.

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Have you ever heard of a saying “The chance of god has only the front hair”? Or “Take time by the forelock”? I heard it from my English teacher when I was a junior high school student.

 

The chance of god is a boy deity who looks ordinary from front with abundant soft hair, but he is bald on the back. You cry out “That’s the chance of god!” when you notice the baldness on the back of his head after he swiftly passes you on a street.

 

The chance of god suddenly appears from the total darkness, approaching you at a rapid speed. When you see him, you have only a fraction of a second to decide whether you have the chance or not and grab his forelock as you cannot get hold of him from behind.

 

The chance of god does not stop or wait for us to take notice of him. When you see the back part of his head, it is too late. What all this means is that you have to grab the chance when it is presented, or it is too late.

 

The moral the English teacher was trying to convey is the following: “If you think you have the chance, grab it. If it turns out to be a false opportunity, it is okay all the same. Life is never without failures. You can do it all over again. Life would be much more enjoyable if you try to seize every opportunity than feel sorry for missed chances.”

 

One day, more than ten years after that, I happened to know that the chance of god is a Greek deity called Caerus. When I saw a photo of Caerus’s bronze statue, I was shocked to see that its appearance bore no resemblance to his image I had nurtured when I was a boy.

 

It is most important that one recognizes the opportunity when the chance of god appears and has the ability to grab it without having to see his backside. Many people, including myself, are slow to act or inattentive to the opportunities of lifetime when they are presented.

 

Speaking of chance, one cannot ignore Valentine’s Day and White Day at this time of the year. In Japan, Valentine’s Day falls on February 14, when women send chocolate to men and confess their love. In return, men give gifts back to women such as candies and marshmallows on White Day a month later on March 14. Valentine’s Day is universally known in Christian countries, but White Day is purely a commercial event created by Japan’s confectionery industry to promote sales. Without everybody knowing it, the event has established itself firmly as a fixture of the gift-happy Japanese society.

 

Nowadays, all forms of chocolate giving are being practiced. There are “honmei choco,” in which women send chocolate to men they love, “giri choco” for sending chocolate to superiors, coworkers and friends without any amorous feelings, “tomo choco” for sending chocolate to female friends, and “gyaku choco” for sending chocolate from men to women.

 

Young men and women become desperate at this time of the year as they try to grab fleeting opportunities. There are those who successfully seize them and those who fail. The situation was the same when I was young.

 

You cannot run after lost opportunities and take them, but, unexpectedly, the chance of god appears again and again before you. There is therefore no need for you to feel down only because you have failed to seize the opportunities once or twice as they will certainly come again from somewhere at a rapid speed.

 

If the chance you have seized turns out to be false, you can always make another attempt. If you are lucky, you will turn it into a real opportunity. There is no such a thing as being completely useless. Believe in yourself and grab the forelock without any hesitation. But be careful not to grab the forelock too strongly and pluck it out. And when you do grab the opportunity some day, let us know about it for the eNewsletter.

 

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Dear International Students who studied in Japan

 

I wish you all a happy New Year.

 

This is my first New Year message for former international students since I became President of the Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO) on Nov. 1, last year.

 

I was born in Kyushu Island and I had to change from one school to another many times because of my father’s frequent job transfers. I believe my itinerant boyhood helped to develop a spirit of independence and originality in my life.

After graduating from university in Japan, I decided in my 20’s to learn abroad as you did and went to the United States. While studying in the U.S., I made friends with many people, not just Americans but students from all over the world. I also developed lasting friendships with many other Japanese researchers and students by sharing life’s joys and sorrows with them. Since then, I have been treasuring all these friends I first met during my years in the U.S.

 

Until I assumed the current post, I served as President of Kyushu University, which has as many as 1,300 international students. The job gave me many opportunities to interact with our students and teachers.

While serving as the university’s president, I traveled around the world. Every year, I visited more than 10 countries: not only Asian, North American and European nations but also countries in other parts of the world, such as Egypt and Mexico.

When I was actually teaching classes, I enjoyed playing various kinds of sports with my students, including tennis, softball and mountain climbing.

As a university president, I devoted my efforts to creating a comfortable and inspiring learning environment for highly motivated students.

I repeatedly offered several pieces of advice to my students' staffs and faculties at Kyushu University.

 

“Many people here mistakenly believe that they are brilliant just because they are at a famous university in Japan. They should know how the school is rated by the world and face up to the reality with a sense of urgency.”

 

“I want international students to return home with many pleasant memories as well as a diploma. I mean pleasant memories of working very hard. Such hard work at school lays a solid foundation for career development over the lifetime.”

 

“Build good friendships with many people from various countries. Life in Japan offers a global perspective and opportunities to build relations with people from around the world. After returning home, many international students will play important roles and assume important positions in their own countries and then, send talented students to Japan.”

 

I also emphasize the importance of creativity. You must nurture your own creativity by having interest in the variety of things that happen around you. Try to figure out how and why natural, climatic, political, economic and social changes occur. Try to find answers on your own.

First, try to identify the factors behind the changes. This helps you expand thinking ability. Your unique way of thinking becomes part of your personality and helps you acquire originality. And developing originality eventually leads to creativity.

 

Social changes take place constantly in any country, whether it is Japan, where we live, or your home country. This is an age of sensibility. There are growing signs of renewed international interest in Japanese sensibility, Japanese views of the nature and traditional Japanese aesthetics.

I really hope international students who have learned in Japan will maintain the human networks they have built here and spend another peaceful and fruitful year by building on the sensibility and creativity they have acquired in this nation.

 

When I graduated from elementary school, my school master offered me an intriguing observation about life. “Average effort only produces an average result.” If you want to climb above average you must make above-average efforts.

For all these decades since then, I have always cherished this in mind.

 

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