- Table of Contents
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- “MIRAI NO KATARIBA” Spreads Across Japan
- MIRAI NO KATARIBA with Komaba Toho Junior High School: Exploring Students’ Purpose
- President Tokita’s Message to His Juniors: “I Want them to Believe in Infinite Possibilities and Take on Challenges”
- Creating a Society in Which the Future Generation can Play an Active and Vibrant Role
“MIRAI NO KATARIBA” Spreads Across Japan
Fujitsu defines its reason for existence and Purpose in society as “to bring trust to society and make the world more sustainable through innovation,” and promotes business focused on solving social issues. As part of our efforts to realize a sustainable world, we launched “MIRAI NO KATARIBA” in 2021 to think about the future we want to have with the future generations.
Our events are expanding all over Japan, with “MIRAI NO KATARIBA” having been held with a total of over 1,200 students at 15 different schools.
“MIRAI NO KATARIBA” held in various locations
MIRAI NO KATARIBA with Komaba Toho Junior High School: Exploring Students’ Purpose
In this issue, we would like to share with you a report on the MIRAI NO KATARIBA session that Fujitsu President and Representative Director Takahito Tokita conducted in July 2022 with 24 third-year students from Komaba Toho Junior High School, his alma mater.
The first part of the presentation was about Fujitsu’s Purpose and his personal Purpose. At Fujitsu, we place the same importance on “personal Purpose” as we do on corporate Purpose, such as a sense of mission to “get this done,” and a focus on the future, such as “what I really want to do.” There, employees involved in the development of walk-in-walk-out shopping and the supercomputer Fugaku presented case studies and talked about the connection between their own Purpose and their current work.
The students listened intently and wrote down lots of things that stood out to them on sticky notes. We feel that the participants were able to realize that when corporate Purpose and an individual’s personal Purpose resonate with each other, they can become a force that can change society.
After you have heard about the overlap between corporate and personal Purpose, we will now explore the what kind of Purpose the students feel. The students were asked to select words that express what they value, such as “challenge” and “trust,” and interview each other about why they chose the words they did.
Student: “If you have ‘curiosity,’ you will have new questions, and you may even invent solutions to them.”
Student: “‘Contribution’—I want to work with others, not just do it alone.”
Student: “I think it’s ‘creativity’ that allows you to take advantage of the material, take advantage of the shape, and make something totally different.”
It was impressive to see the way the students listened carefully to each other’s opinions while firmly. articulating the stories and thoughts behind the words they chose.
President Tokita’s Message to His Juniors: “I Want them to Believe in Infinite Possibilities and Take on Challenges”
After exploring what the students valued (the gemstone of Purpose), Tokita came to talk.
Komaba Toho Junior High School is Tokita’s alma mater. He shared some episodes from his junior high school days, to which some of the students responded with “Oh, wow!”
Takahito Tokita, President, CEO, and CDXO, Fujitsu Limited
Tokita spoke about Fujitsu’s desire to realize a sustainable world based on Purpose.
Tokita: It is important to realize amazing services and systems through technology, and at the same time, it is important that the society in which these services are used is connected with “trust.” No one’s trust should be undermined by fake news or the misuse of AI.
It is also very important to address environmental issues such as decarbonization, water, and energy. For humanity to be sustainable, the earth itself must be sustainable.
In order to realize such a society, Fujitsu has defined its Purpose as “bringing trust to society through innovation and making the world more sustainable.”
A dialogue followed on the theme of “What can we do to create a sustainable planet, and what kind of future do we want to create?” When imagining about SDGs or the close future, we are prone to think about “what we should do” and “what we must do.” However, at these MIRAI NO KATARIBA, we try to move the dialogue to focus on “what do I care about?” and “what kind of future do I want to make?”
Student: I want to create a world where each individual’s happiness is respected. I believe that dissatisfaction prevents us from doing what we want to do and creates stress.
Tokita: With the idea of pursuing the happiness of each individual and the idea of making everyone equal, if you put your foot down on one side or the other, you may lose your balance. On the other hand, if we focus solely on equality, that too will cause frustration. it is a very difficult challenge to solve. However, I think it is important to tackle such matters head on. Not speaking up and avoiding sharing our opinions is the worst thing we can do. I want you all to speak your mind and say what you are thinking in your own words. I hope that those who hear your thoughts will not criticize your ideas, but rather exchange opinions with you and tell you what they think. I cannot say with confidence that I myself am able to do so, but I hope that all of you who will build the world and society in the future will become such leaders. I hope that you will be a leader who can create a world where people from all walks of life can express their opinions without stress and speak freely without criticism.
The students came back with strong declarations. The students’ earnest reconsideration of what they want to do and the answers they gave to their questions gives a great sense of encouragement.
Student: “I want to create a society where people around the world can live their lives to the fullest without fear of financial or safety hazards.”
Student: “I want to create a future where global warming and ocean plastics are no longer a problem.”
Student: “I hope that each one of us can act without being preoccupied with our own immediate happiness.”
In closing, Tokita spoke about the importance of keeping a dialogue with a variety of people and the infinite possibilities for students, including the thoughts behind Fujitsu’s infinity mark.
Tokita: Talking with different kinds of people and listening to their opinions, rather than thinking only by yourself, is a good way for you to realize and grow. In particular, you were born and raised in a world where social networking and the Internet are commonplace. You are not only looking to Japan, but to the world. The people you will be talking to will be of many different nationalities from all over the world. Fujitsu’s logo includes the “infinity” symbol. The possibilities for everyone here are infinite. I would like you all to remember this: “I have infinitely possibilities.” You all can do anything and everything, more than I ever could. You have the time to do what you can to make the world a better place. Rather than suppressing various possibilities, I want to see all of you constantly bursting at the seems to take on the challenge of things that you first thought impossible.
Students from Komaba Toho Junior High School with Fujitsu “MIRAI NO KATARIBA” members
After the “MIRAI NO KATARIBA,” we received the following comments from students in a survey. We would be delighted if the dialogue at the MIRAI NO KATARIBA provided a good opportunity for the students to think about their own future, social issues, and the “future they want to have.”
- It was interesting to hear about the valued that are important to the friends I talk to on a regular basis.
- I was surprised to find that even my classmates, who are always around me, were thinking about things I was not thinking, or talking about things that never came across my mind.
- I have not thought about my future and have only been studying just taking one step at a time, but now I have a chance to think about my future.
- It’s important to act with Purpose.
- There’s a company out there that is making the change in society I want to see.
Creating a Society in Which the Future Generation can Play an Active and Vibrant Role
We hope to expand the reach of our “MIRAI NO KATARIBA” to other parts of Japan. We will work toward the realization of a sustainable world while engaging in dialogue from the same perspective as the generation that will be responsible for the future, keeping in mind that “the future belongs to everyone, and the decisions leading up to it should not be decided by adults alone.”
We Fujitsu employees who were involved in the “MIRAI NO KATARIBA” also gained new perspectives and viewpoints and a lot of inspiration from the dialogue with the students. Through the MIRAI NO KATARIBA, we would like to expand the circle of Fujitsu’s efforts to realize Purpose and contribute to the SDGs. As a global technology company, Fujitsu is committed to creating a safe, secure, and prosperous society so that the future generations of our planet can thrive and play an active role.
