CIL Research Symposium Held at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai
On Sunday, June 1, 2025, the Center for Inclusive Leadership (CIL) hosted the CIL Research Symposium titled “Empowering Women & Fostering an Inclusive Future: Practices at APU” in the WA space of the Women’s Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai.
The event featured keynote speeches by external researchers as well as panel discussions and presentations by APU faculty, students, and alumni from diverse national backgrounds. A total of 80 participants joined the event—50 in person and 30 online.
In the opening session, APU President YONEYAMA Hiroshi delivered a speech on the achievements and challenges of D&I (Diversity & Inclusion) at APU. This was followed by a presentation by CIL Director SHINOHARA Yoshiki, who shared CIL’s initiatives and research on inclusive leadership.
Keynote speakers included Dr. AMIN Hanan (Assistant Professor, Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology) and Professor HORIE Miki (Dean, College of Global Liberal Arts, Ritsumeikan University). Dr. AMIN spoke from the perspective of Muslim women in academia, while Professor Horie addressed inclusive education as a means of nurturing the next generation with diversity awareness; both offered valuable academic insights into D&I.
The program continued with a presentation from the Education Development and Learning Support Center (EDLSC) on multicultural collaborative learning, and a Language Festival presented by the Center for Language Education (CLE), where students showcased the richness of global languages and cultures. Participants eagerly joined in, repeating pronunciations and answering cultural quizzes with enthusiasm.
In the latter half, presentations and panel discussions by APU students and alumni focused on the status of women’s empowerment in various countries and reflections on D&I in Japanese society. These sessions sparked vibrant discussions.
Participants commented:
“It was very insightful to hear opinions from various perspectives. It made me reflect on myself and realize how often I rely on stereotypical ways of thinking.”
“This is a field I had never paid much attention to before, but learning about the wide range of initiatives being undertaken by various people at different levels gave me a new perspective on the world.”
CIL will continue to actively host events that advance research and development of inclusive leadership. We look forward to your continued participation and support.
