Deepening and strengthening
the roots of our values
and the backbone of our humanity
by absorbing the soil of eternal wisdom

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Dialogues
withthe Authors

Dialogues
withothersClassic Works

Dialogues
withoneself

What is Aspen?

The Jomon Sugi (a long-lived cedar tree) has come to have strong, thick roots reaching firmly into the soil of Yakushima,a granite island in Kagoshima Prefecture which nutrients are very sparse.
These roots are the reason the Jomon Sugi has survived for over two-thousand years and continues to thrive today.
The branches and leaves stretch out, filling the big, blue sky.
Let’s root ourselves in our values and strengthen the backbone of humanity.
These strong branches and leaves can reach out even further toward tomorrow by understanding the unchanging,
universal values, just as the Jomon Sugi lives on eternally.

About Aspen Institute Japan

Global efforts founded in recognizing
problems related to specialization andefficiency principles

Origin of “Aspen”

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About the Aspen Seminar

6“The overall picture is being lost as we occupy our efforts in specialized

Executive Seminar/
Young Executive Seminar

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Stewardship Seminars

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Seminars for High School Students

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fields.” As this has become an alarm in modern society, the Aspen Institutewas born to provide the opportunities for intellectual exchange. The Aspen

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Contents

Institute Japan has inherited this mentality while building its own uniqueprograms in addition to classic literatures from Japan and East Asia. The
Aspen Institute Japan cultivates leadership skills which can bring hope to the
future through materials from “classic” works and the means of “dialogues".

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The Aspen Institute Japan

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History of Aspen

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Seeking Inspiration from the Classics

Origins of Aspen
Alarm of Trivialization Rings
Starting from a speech deliveredby Robert Hutchins

The Aspen Executive Seminars started the year after the
Aspen Institute was founded. Mortimer Adler (Universityof Chicago professor/philosopher) led the development of
the methodology and abridged the Great Books of theWestern World, which he himself had been editing for the

The origin of Aspen dates back to a speech delivered byseminar text used.

Robert Hutchins (President of the University of Chicago) in
1949 at the celebration of the 200th birthday of Johann
Wolfgang von Goethe* which was held in the United

Birth of The Aspen Institute Japan
to Realize Full-fledged Executive
Seminars

States at Aspen, Colorado. In his speech entitled, “Seeking
A Civilization of Dialogue,” Robert Hitchins said, “Thedanger of uneducated specialists is the greatest danger
that our civilization faces.” He pointed out the crisis oftrivialization related to the way in which people live.

The desire to realize a full-fledged executive seminar

Robert Hutchins appealed to the importance of dialogs

quickly gained momentum in Japan and The Aspen

based on the necessity of character building education as

Institute Japan came into existence in April 1998.

well as mutual understanding and respect.

Thereafter, more than 5,000 leaders have participated in

The challenges he had brought forward regarding “thethese seminars. The Aspen Institute Japan provides

way in which to restructure basic human values,

opportunities for dialogues and speculation for thecommunication, and community which have been lost due

leaders of Japan who are continually active in ato specialization, segmentation, occupational principles,

broad-range of fields.

efficiency principles, and short-run profitability principles”
evoked an awareness of these problems in many people.
Thereafter, the Aspen Institute was founded in 1950 as anorganization aiming to free academics, artists, andIn 1949, the Goethe Bicentennial Convocation washeld in Aspen, Colorado, in the United States. That
event had been inspired by a desire to explore thenature of the human spirit, and fostered broaddialogue by the many thinkers, artists, and literaryscholars in attendance, among them philosopher
José Ortega y Gasset and humanitarian philosopher
Albert Schweitzer.
Following World War II, economic progress andadvances in science and technology wereaccompanied by the endless pursuit of
specialization, segmentation, functionalism,
efficiency, and short-term profit. The Goethe
birthday celebration in Aspen was held to explore
ways of restructuring the basic human values,
communication, and community that in some ways
had been lost as a result of these trends.
Among the convocation speeches, the presentation
entitled “Seeking a Civilization of Dialogue” given
by Robert M. Hutchins, then chancellor of the
University of Chicago, had a strong impact on theaudience.
Noting that “the most unexpected characteristic of
our time is the universal trivialization of life,”
Hutchins underlined the importance of efforts torecover the art of human communication andencourage sustained dialogue. These ideas were theimpetus behind the creation of the Aspen Institutein the United States as an organization devoted toproviding an ideal setting for scholars, artists, andbusinesspersons to free themselves from thecomplexities of everyday life and engage in relaxed
dialogue and reflection.
In the over 60 years that have elapsed since then, itsleadership seminars have assembled with the same,timeless commitment to thought and dialogue
rooted in universal human values for a deeper
understanding of issues facing humanity, culture,society, nature, and the world, and encouraging
attendees to reframe those issues within the modern
context.

business leaders from their daily lives and offer an ideal
place for leisurely dialogues and speculation.
* 200th birthday celebration of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The celebration was planned by Robert Hutchins, Mortimer Adler, and Walter P.
Paepcke to use Johnann Wolfgang von Goethe’s thirst for humanity in his life as
an example of the human spirit at a time when the cold war was advancing andcommercialism was showing its adverse effects. More than 2,000 cultural
figures from academics and philosophers to artists including Albert Schweitzer
April 3, 1998 The Aspen Institute Japan is born

(philosopher/doctor) and José Ortega y Gasset (philosopher) had participated.

In 1998, Japanese business executives were so
inspired by these seminars that they established the
Aspen Institute Japan. Thanks to a Japan-focused

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Teisuke Kitayama
President
The Aspen Institute Japan

program and support from a team of highly qualified
instructors from academia, the Japan branch has
continued to thrive and expand to this day.
Indeed, with a program that has grown to around 40
seminars a year, the Aspen Institute Japan now
serves target audiences ranging from corporate
executives and government officials to high school
students and appears to have a steadily larger role toplay.
One of the key features of Aspen seminars is theirfocus on building a dialogue rooted in the classics,
and through that process, encouraging acomparative perspective that leads to new things andnew ideas. In an age of ongoing globalization,
demand has grown for talented people who can
perform on the world stage. In particular, humanresources that can readily adapt to diverse value
systems through an understanding of different
cultures, religions, and social settings will gain evenmore importance in the years ahead.
Moving forward, I am determined to promote thewidespread popularity of Aspen seminars within theJapanese business and industrial communities,
strengthen our ties of cooperation with sister Aspen
Institute branches worldwide, and contribute to theongoing advancement of the Aspen Institute Japan.

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The Aspen Institute Japan

Overview of the Aspen Seminar

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About the Aspen Seminars
The Apsen Seminars aim to achieve the following by deepening
thoughts through dialogues based on classic works, whichcontain universal values of issues directly confronted by theworld, from humanity and culture to society and nature.

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The splendor of “Re-developing Yourself”
upon having various experiences
Yoichiro Murakami
The Aspen Institute Japan, Deputy President
Professor Emeritus at the University of Tokyo
Professor Emeritus at International Christian University

The activities of The Aspen Institute Japan have gradually expanded. We
started with two kinds of seminars, executive and youth, but recently juniorseminars for high school students have been introduced in several forms.
Consequently, the number of the texts used in seminars is also growing.

Objectives of the seminars

I have taught at universities for many years. In and outside my fields, I haverequired myself to read a long list of classical works. To be frank, some works● Shake up each individuals way of thinking, understand how others think, anddiscover new perspectives and ideas.
● Deepen insights and discover one’s own value axis by confronting and deeply
probe diverse values through dialogues.
● Formulate the broad viewpoint required of true leadership and cultivate
knowledge supporting character.

listed as seminar texts were not on my list. So when I started to join theseminars as a moderator or resource person, I had to struggle—as well as bedelighted—just as most seminar participants did. Even now, every seminar
gives me some fresh intellectual insight.
The original meaning of the German word Bildung was almost the same asbuilding in English, but now it means to figuratively build and cultivate oneself.
The most appropriate time for Bildung must be during adolescence, but evenin the midst of one’s career, rebuilding or re-cultivating oneself by tackling with

Promote Deeper Thought
and Introspection by
Combining Dialogues
with Classic Works

Participants proceed through the seminar based on dialogues through thethe classical works must be a remarkable challenge.

humble discussion of their thoughts and feelings as they read the sameclassic work. Rather than being taught how to read and understand theseclassic works by a specialist such as a lecture at college, each participant isfree to come to their own conclusions. And through the repeated dialogues
with the author, other participants and themselves, the objective is to urge

Classics are a Necessary
Sustenance for True Leaders
Takenori Inoki

introspection and to broaden their perspective to various worlds.

Utilize Strictly Selected
Texts Combining
Six Themes

The Aspen Institute Japan, Trustee
Professor Emeritus at Osaka University

The program is composed of six vital themes from the “World and Japan” to“nature and life,” “awareness,” “beauty and belief,” “humanity,” and“democracy” to spark thought about humanity and society. The texts which

The understanding of humanity is broadened and deepened through the act of

have been abridged and edited specifically for Japan are selected from East

reading the classics alongside others. One will learn the mentality of bravery

Asian and Western classics as well as modern literature.

and fairness while cultivating superior judgment by seeking out the vibrancy ofknowledge. The leadership seminars of Aspen which embody this philosophy

Intellectual Dialogues
Supported by Moderators
and Resource Persons

Each section is supported by teaching staff that are richly versed inscholarly knowledge, bureaucracy, and the corporate world. The
moderators intensify dialogues between participants while
simultaneously leading the flow of discussions in the appropriate
direction. Furthermore, the resource persons increase the quality of
dialogues from the standpoint of their particular specialties while
offering moderate encouragement to reach something fruitful.

has begun a “dojo” to hone practical skills to assess the importance of matters,
which is not more than simple knowledge or information, by confronting theintellectual legacy of those who have come before us while combining
dialogues with other participants.
We must look to the past to learn the reality of what remains unchanged for
us as humans to even scratch the surface of things for the future. The secretsof humanity and society discovered by the greats are discussed in these classics.
The classics can be considered a necessary sustenance for true leaders who areable to put themselves in someone else’s shoes and take an overall forward
looking perspective without clouding themselves with their own desires.

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Introduction of the Seminars

Executive Seminars andYoung Executive Seminars

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Importance of providing opportunities
for young people to be exposed to liberal arts
16th Executive Seminar Participant

The Aspen Institute Japan holds primarily two types ofseminars.
The Executive Seminar is a leadership program forexecutives in a wide-range of fields who have various
different qualities and have diverse backgrounds. In
the current times of advancing internationalizationand complications, high-level decision making isdemanded of executives in each industry. In addition to
the dialogue sessions for these types of executives,
these seminars offer rewarding experiences throughforums and cultural programs.
The Young Executive Seminars have been developed asa foundation of the executive seminars for managers
who aim to be board members or executives in the
future. These seminars offer an opportunity for
dialogues through the involvement in classic literature
at an early stage for this generation of people, who are
to be the driving force of the future Japanese society.
Aspen Japan also holds the Science, Technology and
Humanity Seminar and the Aspen Seminar on Today’s
Society, both aiming to provide an opportunity forexecutives in various sectors to think fundamentally
about current issues.

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I was almost lost in amazement through the preparation and the participation of theseminar. The excitement lingered long after the seminar, and I was delighted to findthat I still had the brain cells and the thinking process to get excited with an experiencesuch as this Executive Seminar. On the other hand, it was unfortunate that I did nothave a chance to have similar opportunities during my youth. I believe that it isnecessary in Today’s Japanese education to provide opportunities to young people tobe thoroughly exposed to liberal arts, which is essential to live proudly and globally as
an independent person.

Aspen Provides Wisdom Increasing Intellectual Resilience
The moderators and resource persons
for these seminars will primarily be
the following persons:

Yoichiro Murakami

Professor Emeritus at the University of Tokyo
Professor Emeritus at International Christian University

Takenori Inoki

Professor Emeritus at Osaka University

Seizo Sekine

Professor Emeritus at the University of Tokyo

Takashi Oshimura

Executive Seminar●

Shuzo Sumi
Senior Executive Advisor , Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd.

Professor at Aoyama Gakuin University

These seminars are for chairpersons/executives ofcorporations, senior public officers, academics, researchers,
politicians, and those related to NPOs or NGOs.
15-20 participants per seminar

Honorary Executive Advisor, IBM Japan, Ltd
I vividly remember even today the exhilaration I felt when I found something new
while fully exerting both my right and left brain in my daily work in the summerof 2003. Globalization in the world is accelerating with the advancements of ICT
and new value creation is at hand, but increasing resilience rooted in universal
values is needed to win at this “intellectual boxing”. This wisdom is available at
Aspen. In addition to expertise, I discovered the ability to take a broader
perspective of matters as well as gain communication skills capable of impact topeople. Thinking back now, that one week was a prelude to many of thechallenges I experienced in my corporate life thereafter.

Professor Emeritus at Sophia University

Hiroyuki Ogino

Professor at Sophia University

Discover the Necessity of “Ones Own Axis” by Sharing anIntellectual Thinking Atmosphere

Professor at Osaka University

Please also feel free to attend with your husband/wife(your escort will be an observer).

Ichiro Taki

Young Executive Seminar
Young Executive Seminars are for management level
employees of corporations in their 30s and 40s.
15-20 participants per seminar

Held over two nights and three days.

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4th Executive Seminar Participant

Yukako Uchinaga

Professor at Osaka Kyoiku University

Tadashi Karube

Professor at the University of Tokyo●

Takayuki Hashimoto

Ohashi Yoichiro

Takuo Dome

Held over four nights and five days●

16th Executive Seminar Participant

Brilliant people from each industry assume
the role of moderators and resource persons.
(Names in no particular order)

Chairperson and Representative Director, Japan Women's Innovation Network
I was able to think to my fullest extent at the seminar. The dialogues with participants
based on the texts was a chance to experience the sharing an intellectual atmospherecreated from an invisible jigsaw puzzle, and I felt the necessity to think more deeply
about my daily life and living. I came to understand how vital the strength of an axis
for my religious as well as philosophical views and my own identity are in my global
work and activities. We, as Japanese, have to work to strengthen our own axes. The
Aspen seminar helped me discover that need.

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Introduction of the Seminars

Seminars forHigh School Students

Stewardship Seminars
Stewardship Seminars are held
every year at the request andwith the support of companies
and organizations.

The Aspen Junior Seminar and the Aspen Classics Seminar forHigh School Students are programs targeted to those highschool students who will lead the future. Participants consider
the challenges in life from “how to live better” to “why learningand working are vital” and “what values are important” while
they participate in dialogues concerning classic works. Theseseminars are sponsored by companies and organizations that
support the mission of Aspen Japan.

The Aspen Junior Seminar was founded in 2008 to celebrate
Aspen’s tenth anniversary and is held every year in Tokyo as
a seminar for high schoolstudents in the areas around Tokyo.

National Personnel Authority and Aspen Japan Seminar
A seminar for executive administrative officials was held in September 2003 with the cooperation of the
National Personnel Authority. The three night, four day seminar was held for executives of the central
government and those who participated raved greatly about the seminar after its conclusion.

Ishikawa and Aspen Japan Seminar
A seminar for executive employees of Ishikawa Prefecture and executives of private enterprises was heldin October 2004. The seminar then grew to be a Hokuriku District Seminar with the participation of
executive employees of Toyama and Fukui Prefectures.

Aspen Junior Seminar
The Aspen Junior Seminar was founded in 2008 to celebrate Aspen’s tenth anniversary and is held
every year in Tokyo as a seminar for high school students in the areas around Tokyo.

Aspen Classic Seminar for High School Students
These seminars are held at high school facilities and also led by local high school teachers with thecooperation of local educators. In the future, Aspen will hold seminars in each of these areas toprovide “opportunities for discussion and familiarity with classic works” to as many high school
students as possible.

S E M I N A R
To Become a Company for the Global Environment and Human Society

Externally Induced Enlightenment by Meeting With Other Participants

24th Executive Seminar Participant

22nd Young Executive Seminar Participant

Tomohiko Fujiyama

Hideki Yanagihashi

Principal Fellow, Center for Research and Development Strategy,
Japan Science and Technology Agency
Fomer Senior Vice President, Research and Corporate Strategy, Mitsubishi Corporation

Director, Hokkaido-Tohoku Regional Wholesaler Department,
Wholesaler Affairs, Merck Sharp & Dohme

The torment of decision-making for companies is becoming more and morelarge chemical reaction within me. I was able to have “dialogues” not only withapparent.

The dense education and the meeting of people offered by this seminar caused atheother participants but the works and authors based on classical themes with theadvancements in leading-edge science technologies, and transformations inpremise of differing values that I don’t usual touch in my daily life. This seminar

controversies concerning social justices are all part of this backdrop. Companies

which allowed us to look at the various values within ourselves while discovering

not only exist to pursue profit in the short-term but also must exist for the global

new values could also be said to have provided an “externally induced

environment and mankind. Even though these answers are not written in theenlightenment” for me through acquaintance with other participants. I truly

classic works, I discovered my ability to confront modern challenges and my own

recommend these seminars as an amazing chance for us as business people andhumanity improved once I completed the Aspen seminar.

ordinary people to seriously think about perspectives on life, ethics, and the world.

The

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exceedingeconomictheory,11Overseas Network
The Aspen Institute Japan consists of an international member network
throughout 14 countries and regions – Japan, America, Germany, Italy, France, India,
Romania, Spain, Central Europe, Mexico, Kiev (Ukraine), New Zealand, UK, and Colombia.

The Aspen Institute (US) (founded 1950)

Aspen Institute Germany (founded 1974)

Institut Aspen France (founded 1983)

Aspen Institute Italia (founded 1984)

Ananta Aspen Centre (founded 2004)

Institute Aspen Romania (founded 2006)

Aspen Institute España (founded 2010)

Aspen Institute Central Europe (founded 2012)

The Aspen Institute Mexico (founded 2014)

The Aspen Institute Kyiv (founded 2015)

The Aspen Institute New Zealand (founded 2019)

The Aspen Institute UK (founded 2021)

The Aspen Institute Coloimbia (founded 2023)

The Aspen Institute Japan (founded 1998)

Each of the Aspen Institutes operates under their own unique policies.

The Aspen Institute Japan
Harks Roppongi Bldg. 2F.
6-15-21 Roppongi, Minato-ku Tokyo 106-0032 Japan
TEL +81-3-6438-9208
FAX +81-3-3405-1668
www.aspeninstitute.jp/

January, 2024