Hirotsugu Takizawa

Executive Director and Vice President,
Tohoku University
Vice President for Education Reform and Global Engagement

Tohoku University has been designated by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) as Japan’s first University for International Research Excellence. In response to this significant milestone, the Advanced Graduate School has set forth the goal of “creating new forms of learning that challenge the world,” as articulated in our Research and Education Enhancement Plan. With this commitment, we are reexamining the very nature of graduate education and embarking on a new phase of bold and forward-looking reform.

Today, the global landscape is undergoing rapid transformation. Technological innovation is advancing at an unprecedented pace, and information technologies—particularly those centered on artificial intelligence—are reshaping the very foundations of society. At the same time, humanity faces increasingly complex challenges, including climate change and growing geopolitical instability. While many countries are accelerating reforms in education to respond to these changes, Japan continues to grapple with long-standing issues such as a declining and aging population, prolonged economic stagnation, and a diminishing international presence. These challenges are also impacting the development of human resources within universities. Issues such as excessive disciplinary compartmentalization and rigid educational structures have become increasingly evident and must be overcome.

In response to these circumstances, Tohoku University is actively promoting interdisciplinary learning. Moving beyond exclusive reliance on traditional graduate school and departmental frameworks, we have expanded graduate education aimed at cultivating individuals who can integrate diverse forms of knowledge and excel on the global stage. At the core of this effort are our Degree Programs, which comprise a multi-layered and innovative educational framework unprecedented in conventional graduate education. These include International Joint Graduate Programs conducted in collaboration with leading overseas universities; Academia-Industry Collaborating Graduate Programs and Leading Graduate School Programs that foster broad perspectives and creativity through close collaboration with society; and the Interdisciplinary Advanced Research and Education, which has taken a pioneering role in advancing interdisciplinary integration.

Moreover, in contemporary society, expertise alone is no longer sufficient. There is a growing demand for transferable skills that can be applied flexibly across diverse environments. In response, the Advanced Graduate School is developing new training programs and enhancing university-wide common graduate courses, enabling students from all graduate schools to enroll with flexibility. We are also strengthening career support to help doctoral students proactively design their futures, while expanding support programs to reduce financial burdens. We believe that creating an environment in which students can fully devote themselves to research is a fundamental responsibility of the university.

These initiatives may present students with a succession of new challenges in addition to their regular studies within graduate schools and departments. However, it is precisely through the accumulation of such experiences that individuals acquire the capacity to lead in a complex and rapidly changing world. We sincerely hope that the perspectives and abilities cultivated at Tohoku University will open a clear and promising path toward your future endeavors.

In order to remain a research university that stands shoulder to shoulder with the world—one chosen by young people across the globe who aspire to study and conduct research here—the Advanced Graduate School will continue to pursue new models of graduate education and engage boldly with the challenges ahead.