Perspective from Alumni
My name is Hong Toida and I am writing this essay as Alumni. I joined KIP when I was in my third year of university and participated in the Asian study trip with a research theme of declining and aging population. Then I graduated from the university in September 2018 and I am currently working in my first year in the workforce. In this contribution, I would like to share with you my thoughts on the significance of studying the declining birthrate and aging population at KIP.
(1) Learning about the declining birthrate and aging population and becoming an international citizen
At KIP, the term “well informed Japan expert’ with an international mindset” is often used as a slogan. Why is it necessary to know about Japan's problems in order to become an international person active on the world stage? After I entered the workforce, I came to believe that this is the way that Japan, as an advanced nation on issues, has been contributing to the international community.
It is said that Japan's declining birthrate and aging population is not a phenomenon unique to Japan, but one that will eventually occur in many countries. Japan was one of the first countries to face the challenge of an aging society with a declining birthrate, and has been engaged in a process of trial and error in an attempt to solve the problem. The technologies and industries cultivated in this process are now being used in other countries facing similar problems. In Indonesia, where I work, many Japanese companies have expanded into the country, and I strongly feel that Japanese technology has supported the development of the country. The know-how that Japan has cultivated for the development of its own country has been useful for the development of other countries. For me, this is the meaning of being a " well informed Japan expert’ with an international mindset," and I feel that my research on the aging population and the declining birth rate at KIP has given me a hint on how to make the same kind of contribution to the world.
Japan's current debates on social security and regional development are themes that are being tackled precisely because of the country's serious declining and aging population, and I believe that this know-how can be transferred to other countries facing similar problems in the future. For example, in Japan's regional cities where the population is aging, an initiative to solve the inconvenience of transportation, such as the use of shared buses, has begun, and it is quite conceivable that this initiative will somehow help to solve the traffic congestion in Jakarta. We need to deepen our understanding of Japan's declining and aging population, and then go abroad to share that knowledge and support the development of other countries. This is one form of "intellectual internationalism," as I see it, and learning about the declining birthrate and aging population was the first step.
(2) The Discourse-Free Environment of KIP
I think KIP is a place where students studying in different environments can broaden their perspectives by discussing things with other students, sometimes including working people. During the training, I was able to listen to people from companies active overseas, KIP Alumni, and university professors talk about the declining birthrate and aging population, and I was able to learn about the impact of the declining birthrate and the approaches to solving the problem that I never imagined.
I was able to learn about the effects of the declining birthrate and aging population and the approaches to problem solving that I had never imagined. In fact, I met a person from KIP Alumni during my study abroad program in Asia, and I was fascinated by his work and its social significance, which led me to choose my current career path. ! I can confidently recommend this place to students who want to study abroad.
This is a bit long, but I am sure that the experience I had at KIP in dealing with the declining birthrate and aging population will be useful in my future life. I hope that you will think about the significance of studying at KIP and absorb a lot of things as you read this, so that you can become a person who will take on the future of Japan. (Wataru Toida, Law Graduate, Keio University)