November 15th, 2014 (Sat.) Tokyo Big Sight / Reception Hall

Mr. Noboru Noguchi, Director-General of the National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan, chaired the plenary session. At the opening ceremony, Mr. Kihei Maekawa, Deputy Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and Dr. Mmantsetsa Marope, Director of UNESCO International Bureau of Education, gave addresses and Mrs. Yumiko Kaneko, Director General of the Nomura Center welcomed the audience as the organizer. Then the DVD "History of Nomura Center for Lifelong Integrated Education" was played.   Following that, symposium was started. The session was coordinated by Prof. Akihito Chiba, Advisor of Institute for Educational Research and Service, International Christian University. The panelists were: Prof. Xiu Gang, President of Tianjin Foreign Studies University and Graduate School Professor, Chairman of Japanese Language Education Guiding Committee in the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, Honorary Chairman of China Japanese Language Education Association, Ms. Nassrine Azimi, Co-Founder/Coordinator of Green Legacy Hiroshima Initiative and Senior Advisor, United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), and Prof. Takatoshi Imada, Professor Emeritus, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Member of Science Council of Japan and Chairman of the follow-up examination committee on the high-level radioactive waste disposal. 　 Lead by Prof. Chiba who has broad international experience, with the objective of "Considering our responsibility to the future in light of the pressing issues in the 21st century", all the three panelists made presentations of keen insights on crucial issues we are facing in this period from their respective standpoints. Respecting the recent relationship between Japan and China, Prof. Xiu talked about the importance of seeing the relationship from the people's standpoints depending not only on the government-to-government level, nor solely on the mass media. He emphasized the significance of trying to know the things as they are, and of people-to-people diplomacy based on the universal values. Ms. Azimi talked about the Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution that holds worldwide significance and its value in this age, and also talked about the viewpoints we needed in the present time on the nuclear accident in Fukushima and critical issues of Okinawa. Prof. Imada, engaged in the high-level radioactive waste disposal problem, talked about our future direction explaining how serious the issue of nuclear waste that requires management over several thousand years and the difficulty in selecting disposal facility sites.   In the afternoon after lunch break, Director General Mrs. Yumiko Kaneko's keynote address was started. On the theme, "Lifelong Integrated Education The Space Age––Awakening to the Unchangeable Values Our Responsibility to the Future" she first stated specific characteristics of the present time from a long historical perspective and explained the Founder's standpoint for analyzing social changes that brought forth the concept of lifelong integrated education. And she talked about the motives of Nomura Lifelong Integrated Education. Then she elaborated on the details of the Principles of Nomura Lifelong Integrated Education and talked about "the unchangeable values". Explaining how urgently we are required to shift from materialistic values to that of life in this century, Mrs. Kaneko addressed the value and significance of the family. Lastly, in such an age when we are apt to be caught up in the visible things and sticked to these relative values, she concluded that we need to be awakened to the precious values invisible to the eyes and we should be able to find unchangeable values burried in them. During the questions and answers session after the lecture, many participants including those coming from the overseas actively raised their hands and enthusiastic exchange of views continued behind schedule.