NEWS

On Thursday, February 5, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU) held a mini lecture and talk session at its new social collaboration hub, which opened in the fall of 2025 inside CIC Fukuoka.

The background behind APU establishing a base at CIC Fukuoka lies in the Challenge Design, a mid-term plan aimed at realizing the APU2030 Vision. In the second half of this plan, APU is promoting efforts that focus on advancing education, research, and the social implementation of diversity and inclusion (D&I), building a Life Long Learner (LLL) community in which people of all backgrounds can grow together, and expanding the university’s social impact. With a perspective that looks beyond globalization, APU is actively pursuing these initiatives. Achieving these goals requires close collaboration with external organizations such as industry and local governments, and in response to expectations for partnerships aimed at revitalizing the Kyushu economy and encouraging highly skilled international talent to settle in the region, APU established its hub in Fukuoka hub.

This session was held as part of the weekly Thursday Gathering at CIC Fukuoka under the topic of “D&I as a Management Strategy — What Silicon Valley Has That Fukuoka Does Not.” The program began with an introduction to APU by student interns, followed by a mini lecture by Associate Professor Hirahara (College of International Management). A talk session was then held featuring Ayano Sasaki from Catalyst Kyushu and APU alumna Hemshikha Gouri (College of International Management, Class of 2022), who currently works at a Japanese company in Fukuoka.

In the mini lecture, Associate Professor Hirahara explained, based on concrete facts, the positive impact that embracing diversity can bring to companies. At the same time, he noted that simply introducing diversity does not always lead to results. He emphasized the importance of understanding the existence of multiple dimensions of diversity, ensuring employees’ psychological safety, and supporting implementation from a medium- to long-term perspective.

During the talk session, Ms. Sasaki noted that while understanding of the need to introduce diversity is gradually increasing among companies in Kyushu, it is essential to develop strategies to overcome challenges that arise depending on the type of diversity and to take action at an early stage. Then, Ms. Gouri shared her firsthand experiences as an international employee hired by a Japanese company, as well as insights into changes in the workplace environment, offering a realistic perspective. Their comments provided participating company representatives with an opportunity to envision how D&I could be implemented within their own organizations.

Going forward, APU will continue to promote industry-government-academia collaboration that connects society and academia from its base at CIC Fukuoka.