AGU Insight -Aoyama Gakuin University

College of Education, Psychology and Human Studies
Global communication skills start from your Japanese language skills
Professor Emeritus Shigeru Komori
In Japan, the importance of learning English is emphasized, and there is a push to have children acquire basic English skills from an early stage in elementary school. However, is it advisable to enrich English education at a stage when Japanese cannot be fully understood or used? This column discusses the importance of thoroughly learning one's native language, and explains how improving one's Japanese language skills will lay the foundation for learning a foreign language. (Published in 2014)

College of Science and Engineering
Changing the world! That's the joy of science
Professor Miki Hasegawa
"Basic research" is not research that aims to produce something immediately useful, but rather research that unravels all kinds of phenomena on Earth and allows us to gain new understanding and proof. However, this research has the potential to dramatically change people's lives and solve problems facing society in the future. In this column, we explain what "basic research" is and talk about its appeal. (Published in 2014)

College of Economics
Understanding Japan's Present and Future from a Demographic Perspective
Professor Takashi Inoue
In 2005, Japan's population was 127.77 million, but it is projected to decrease to 86.74 million by 2060, making Japan the country experiencing the fastest rate of population aging and declining birthrate in the world. While the issue of an aging population is considered particularly important, progress in addressing it remains slow. This column will analyze Japan's current situation from a demographic perspective and discuss how to address the aging population problem in the future. (Published in 2014)

School of Business
What will the TPP bring to our country?
Professor Nobuto Iwata
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), in which Japan expressed its intention to participate in March 2013, has become a familiar term to us, frequently covered in newspapers and news reports. But what exactly is the TPP? And why is Japan participating in the TPP negotiations? This column will explain what the TPP is and examine the factors behind Japan's participation in the negotiations from both political and economic perspectives. (Published in 2013)

Faculty of Law
We'll decide the taxes!
Professor Yoshikazu Miki
It has been decided that the consumption tax will be raised to 8% in April 2014. Are you in favor of this tax increase? Or are you against it? When we hear the word "tax," we tend to have a strong sense of "being taken." However, "tax" is originally meant to provide necessary financial resources for the country to which we belong. And how this money is used is something that should be decided by us. Why not take the opportunity of the consumption tax increase to think again about how taxes work and how they are used? (Published in 2013)

Graduate School of International Management
Thinking about management, organizations, and society from the perspective of social networks
Professor Tsutomu Nakano
When people think of social networks, many of them probably think of social networking sites and online communication. However, social networks originally began as a study of the relationships, such as competition and cooperation, that exist within the interpersonal relationships and communication within organizations. In order to survive in modern society, we should learn about social networks, deepen our understanding of them, and make full use of them. (Published in 2013)

Graduate School of Professional Accountancy
Where there is economic activity, there is accounting
Professor Shinji Hatta
When people hear the word "accounting," many will think of "financial calculations" and "a subject studied by certain people involved in accounting and finance." However, in reality, "accounting" is about "correctly explaining economic activity" and "fostering multifaceted thinking," so it is a subject that should be studied by many people. In this column, we explain "what is accounting" and discuss the significance of "studying accounting." (Published in 2013)

College of Economics
Is Abenomics the savior of the Japanese economy?
Professor Mazuru Nakamura
"Abenomics" is a word we hear almost every day these days. This is the nickname given to the economic policies of the second Abe administration. This article explains what "Abenomics" is, and sheds light on what is needed to revive the Japanese economy and what could be its savior. (Published in 2013)

College of Literature
Learn "English" as a language
Professor Allen Tamai Mitsue
"What Japanese people need from now on is the ability to express their own opinions in their own words." As the wave of globalization surges and calls for Japanese people to improve their English skills grow, this book explains not only the significance of learning English, but also what will be expected of Japanese people in the future. (Published in 2013)

Graduate School of Law
The lay judge system will change trials
Professor Emeritus Osamu Niikura
The "lay judge system" began in 2009. This system has made it possible to hold trials that incorporate sound opinions from the public's perspective, but various issues have also become apparent. In order to make the system more user-friendly and more complete, we will understand how it works, look at the current situation and issues, and consider its future form. (Published in 2013)

School of Social Informatics
Thinking about better communication
Professor Koutarou Takagi
There is a lot of talk these days about how to communicate better. However, the people we communicate with are "other people" in the first place. This article explains how to communicate better by looking at communication not as a way to "understand each other and communicate with each other," but as a way to "communicate with people who think differently." (Published in 2012)

College of Science and Engineering
Let's make use of "IE" in our daily lives
Professor Toshiyuki Matsumoto
"IE (Industrial Engineering)" is used in factories and companies all over the world. However, "IE" is originally something that is useful for our daily lives. It is also a tool to make dreams come true. Here, we explain what "IE" is and how to use "IE" in daily life. (Published in 2012)

Faculty of Law
Considering media ethics and law from the off-the-record issue
Professor Yasuhiko Oishi
"If they write about it, the company will be finished"... Behind the successive media "breaking the off-the-record" rule, we can see their "self-questioning" as they face the new situation after 3/11. They preach the importance of "freedom of expression" that is not bound by law and "media ethics" as a professional attitude. (Published in 2012)

College of Economics
Nuclear power issues from an insurance perspective
Professor Emeritus Terumitsu Homma
A huge financial burden is inevitable following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake. While tracing the history of insurance, this article points out the various reasons why the issue of nuclear damage compensation has not progressed, and considers the current state of Japanese society and the state of "insurance" that reflects it. (Published in 2012)

College of Education, Psychology and Human Studies
The connection between the world of sound and psychology
Professor Jun Shigeno
Even without consciously realizing it, sound has various influences on the human mind. This article explores how sound affects the mind and considers how we should live in today's society, where the sound environment has drastically changed compared to the past. (Published in 2012)

School of Cultural and Creative Studies
For the further development of Japanese cinema
Professor Takashi Uchiyama
In recent years, the Japanese film industry as a whole seems to be doing well, but just 30 years ago it was in rock bottom. We look at film as an international industry and ask how it recovered from that rock bottom and what is needed to achieve further growth in the future. (Published in 2012)

School of Social Informatics
Let's use the economic effects of tourism to help revive the economy
Professor Toru Nagahashi
"Tourism" is enjoyed as a leisure activity. While unraveling the history of tourism, we look at how tourism has become a form of "trade" and a major industry that supports the country. What should Japan do in the future to become a "tourism-based nation"? (Published in 2012)

School of Business
Turning our local town into a vibrant place
Professor Yumiko Mimura
The last 30 years have been a time of upheaval for local commerce in Japan. Why did local shopping streets decline, and how have they been reborn since then? We trace the causes and path to revitalization. (Published in 2012)

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Items marked with include video content.