留学生会の皆さん

We encourage our students to study overseas because living in another country offers an irreplaceable kind of growth. Adjusting to a new culture, eating unfamiliar food, learning in another language, and living without the everyday support of family and friends can all be difficult. But we hope those challenges are more than compensated for by the excitement of acquiring new knowledge, making new friends, encountering different perspectives, and discovering more about oneself in the process.

The six students representing the Ichigaya and Tama Chinese Students Organizations and the Ichigaya Korean Students Organization affirmed many of these thoughts for me, and also brought back memories of my own years as an international student in the United States. The vast majority of our international students from overseas come from China and Korea, so these organizations serve a large number of students and are connected to even wider networks that include alumni as well. 

A spirit of mutual support was one reason they gave for becoming involved. Some had received help when they first arrived at the university, or when they returned after completing military service, and that experience motivated them to support others in turn. They also told me that taking part in these activities not only enriches their university lives, but gives them a sense of purpose and fulfillment, while helping them develop communication and other skills they expect to carry into their working lives.

I was also struck by how thoughtfully they spoke about why they had chosen their fields of study — philosophy, career design, law, and sociology — and by how seriously they were thinking about what might come next. As I listened to them, I found myself thinking that these were exactly the kind of students I would have loved to teach if I were still in the classroom: students with genuine curiosity about what they are learning, and with an eagerness to connect that learning to the lives they are building.

In many ways, they embody the kind of growth we hope to foster by encouraging students to study overseas. Their stories affirm the value of crossing borders, entering unfamiliar environments, and learning to make a life in a place that was not originally one’s own. And precisely for that reason, we owe our international students the support they need and deserve.

They spoke about what they would like to see from the university, including more opportunities for exchange among different international student groups and longer library hours. We also talked about the recent changes in policies affecting foreign residents in Japan. They told me that they felt at ease within the university, although some spoke of a certain anxiety about the future. One student added that, in some sense, uncertainty about the future is something everyone shares. 

I was very glad to have had the chance to hear directly from them. What matters is not to assume we already know what they need, but to keep listening and respond accordingly. 
Having come to Japan from elsewhere myself, I know that home does not have to be only one place. I hope these students, too, will come to feel that Japan can become one of their homes.