OECD’s latest annual report has shown that Japan had the lowest share of women studying Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) among 36 comparable OECD member countries in 2019. According to the report, the proportion of women entering college to study natural sciences, mathematics, and statistics in Japan was 27 percent, far below the OECD average of 52 percent. In engineering, manufacturing and construction, the ratio of women was only 16 percent in Japan, while the OECD average was 26 percent.  

In the August 2021 edition of Keidanren Monthly Magazine, Mariko Yang-Yoshihara shared her thoughts on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) education. To help address the gross STEM gender gap in Japan and instill self-efficacy among young girls in STEAM, an approach that combines STEM and liberal arts education, Mariko Yang-Yoshihara co-founded SKY Labo in 2016 with Rie Kijima, assistant professor at the University of Toronto. Keidanren (Japan Business Federation) is Japan’s largest association of big businesses, founded in 1946, which connects industry visionaries and leaders. SKY Labo, a non-profit educational initiative, offers workshops which utilize design thinking, a methodology that was formalized by scholars at Stanford University for creative problem solving.

The title of Yang-Yoshihara’s article (translated from the Japanese), “‘I May Change the World’—Towards Society 5.0 Human Resources Development: Case Study Through STEAM Education,” quotes a 9th grader’s reflection about her participation in SKY Labo’s workshop. The student wrote that the program brought her a most empowering realization that she can “change the world” by pursuing a career in STEM fields. In the article, Yang-Yoshihara discusses the gearshift in the U.S. higher education to bring in a human-centered approach to STEM fields. She urges Japanese society to reimagine its approach to inspire the next generation by merging traditional STEM subjects with liberal arts education in order to spur innovation and cultivate its underutilized resources: women. The article concludes by introducing SKY Labo’s initiative as a case study of such an attempt. Yang-Yoshihara’s perspectives are shaped by her education in both Japan and the United States. Yang-Yoshihara notes, “STEAM is sort of becoming a ‘buzz word’ in Japan, but it is often misrepresented as a simple inclusion of art-related activities in STEM classrooms. We need to inspire the students at a deeper level—through an innovative pedagogical approach at the intersection of STEM and humanities.”

Yang-Yoshihara and Kijima are trying to provide a fuller understanding of what STEAM stands for by writing about engineers and scientists in Silicon Valley who do truly amazing work by bringing human-centered approaches into their endeavors. They co-authored a book in 2019 to advocate for STEAM education in Japan. Their book, originally published in Japanese, has recently been translated into the Chinese language. Further, Yang-Yoshihara and Kijima have been capturing the effects of the STEAM workshops they offer at SKY Labo through research; they offer evidence-based research to show how design thinking complements STEM education as a pedagogical approach in inspire young girls (link to the journal article).

At SPICE, Yang-Yoshihara harnesses the principles of design thinking in her teaching of high school and university students in Japan and engages the SPICE staff and student alumni of SPICE’s online courses with SKY Labo seminars. In addition, she serves as an advisor to Carey Moncaster’s Stanford e-China program. With Kijima, Yang-Yoshihara has offered a workshop to teach design thinking to educators in China, as a part of the teacher professional development program developed by Moncaster. Having had the pleasure of observing Yang-Yoshihara’s numerous efforts with SKY Labo and SPICE, I have been a witness to how she and Kijima empower students—especially girls—to level the playing field for all genders to pursue their interest in STEM fields. The views on STEM and STEAM education that Yang-Yoshihara and Kijima share with their students remind me of seldom seen aerial views of the iconic Mt. Fuji—views that I believe will encourage and empower more girls in Japan to rise to the top.

When I first met Mayor Norihiko Fukuda in Kawasaki City several years ago, he shared two important values that he embraces. They are “diversity brings strength and greater possibilities” and “recognizing differences is beneficial.” I also learned of the three pillars of Kawasaki’s industrial policy. They are life innovation, green innovation, and welfare innovation. I was struck by his vision that was shaped by his education in both Japan and the United States, and began discussions with him about the development of an online course for high school students in Kawasaki that would introduce topics related to diversity and entrepreneurship. Stanford e-Kawasaki was launched in 2019.

The opening ceremony for the third-year offering of Stanford e-Kawasaki was held on September 23, 2021. Mayor Fukuda addressed the new students, saying, “Today, I am very happy that many of you have decided to participate in this program. I think that the willingness to challenge yourselves is a very important mindset for you to embrace as you prepare for the future.” He continued,

Stanford e-Kawasaki Instructor Maiko Tamagawa Bacha and I represented SPICE during the opening ceremony. During the ceremony, Bacha informed her 20 students from Kawasaki High School and Tachibana High School that they will be encouraged to think critically about issues related to diversity and entrepreneurship. Stanford scholars and leading entrepreneurs have been invited as speakers. Among the lineup of speakers are Dr. Stephen Murphy-Shigematsu, Stanford University, and Sukemasa Kabayama, Founder and CEO of Uplift Labs in Silicon Valley and former President and Representative Officer, Telsa Motors, Japan. Reflecting on her first two years of serving as the Instructor of Stanford e-Kawasaki, Bacha noted, “Because I have family ties to Kawasaki City, formerly worked for the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in San Francisco, and currently live in the United States, I feel both a personal and professional connection to Stanford e-Kawasaki. I hope that the course will inspire my students to pursue studies and work in U.S.–Japan relations as I have done.”

Bacha introduced the course requirements, including the development of final projects, and noted that the top two performing students will be invited to Stanford University for a ceremony during which they will be honored along with the top two students in SPICE’s four other regional programs in Japan. Earlier this year, two of the students in the 2020–21 Stanford e-Kawasaki course were honored. They were Eric Silang, whose final project was titled “Humor and America,” and Shunya Tani, whose final project was titled “Possible Ways to Promote Renewable Energy in Japan and the U.S.” Silang’s project noted the importance of considering diversity through the lens of cultural differences in humor, and Tani’s project stressed the need for Japan and the United States to cooperate, rather than compete, in promoting the use of renewable energy to tackle climate change.

I am most grateful to Mayor Norihiko Fukuda for his vision and for making this course possible. I would also like to express my appreciation to Mr. Nihei and Mr. Katsurayama from the Kawasaki Board of Education; and Mr. Abe, Mr. Tanaka, Mr. Kawato, and especially Mr. Inoue from Kawasaki City for their unwavering support. Importantly, I would like to express my appreciation to Principal Iwaki and his staff of Kawasaki High School and Principal Takai and his staff from Tachibana High School for their engagement with Stanford e-Kawasaki.

When I saw the photo (above) of the Port of Kobe, I immediately thought of my paternal grandmother, Wakano Mukai, who, at the age of 17, departed on the SS Manchuria from the Port of Kobe on January 10, 1910. She left Japan to join her husband, Buntaro, in California. She had agreed to marry him based only upon a photo that she had seen of him. If Wakano were alive today, I would ask her about what the voyage from Kobe to Honolulu to San Francisco was like and what her life in California had taught her about the world.

The goal of educating youth about the world has been promoted by Kobe City Mayor Kizo Hisamoto, who supported Kobe City’s decision to collaborate with the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE) on the development of a new online course, Stanford e-Kobe. The opening ceremony for the inaugural Stanford e-Kobe course was held on September 18, 2021. The course will help high school students in Kobe expand their knowledge of the United States and U.S.–Japan relations—including topics like diversity and entrepreneurship—beyond just a superficial level. In his opening comments, Mayor Hisamoto noted, “Our city strives to create an environment in which young people could fully realize their potential. We have already implemented a number of startup support programs in cooperation with various universities and private companies in the city.” He continued,

SPICE’s Alison Harsch, Stanford e-Kobe Instructor, and I represented SPICE during the opening ceremony. During the ceremony, Harsch told the 29 students that they will be encouraged to think in an “internationally minded manner”—that is, to think about different points of view. She also emphasized that students need not be concerned if they encounter small setbacks in the course, and to “fail forward.” Harsch offered students a glimpse into what Stanford e-Kobe will be like with its active learning and student-centered focus. Teacher Consultant Tomoko Nakamura, Fukiai High School, commented, “Alison-sensei’s words encouraged our students a lot. They must think that it is important to be positive and express their opinions without hesitation… I am grateful for her welcoming of our students so warmly into Stanford e-Kobe.”

Harsch noted that “students should come away from the course with a much deeper understanding of the United States and its strong history of diversity, including early Japanese immigration.” Wakano was never able to return to Japan after immigrating to the United States in 1910. She died in 1947. I wish that she were alive today to hear me share with the students of Kobe, who are about her age when she left Japan, that her last fading glimpse of Japan—that of Kobe—has become clearer again through students of Kobe who aspire to build bridges between their city and the United States and to encourage their peers in the United States to see Kobe firsthand.

I am grateful to Mayor Kizo Hisamoto for making this course possible and for his vision; and to Superintendent Jun Nagata for his leadership and support. I am most grateful to Masanori Nagamine, former Director, Kobe Trade Information Office in Seattle, and Dr. Takaaki Hoda, Kobe University, for allowing me to consult with them while they were in Seattle and at Stanford, respectively. Importantly, I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to Tomoko Nakamura from Fukiai High School and Toshihiro Nishiyama from the Kobe Board of Education for their kind correspondence and unwavering support; and to Satoshi Kawasaki as well.

Stanford e-Japan is an online course that teaches Japanese high school students about U.S. society and culture and U.S.–Japan relations. The course introduces students to both U.S. and Japanese perspectives on many historical and contemporary issues. It is offered biannually by the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE). Stanford e-Japan is supported by the Yanai Tadashi Foundation.

In Summer 2022, top students of the Spring 2021 Stanford e-Japan course will be honored through an event at Stanford University.

The three Spring 2021 honorees—Yura Amaya (Toyama Chubu High School, Toyama), Akira Fukutomi (Yaeyama High School, Okinawa), and Yuto Kimura (Waseda University Senior High School, Tokyo)—will be recognized for their coursework and exceptional research essays that focused respectively on “Organ Donation After Brain Death in Japan and the United States,” “Ambiguity and Clarity: Cultural Differences between Japan and the U.S.,” and “The U.S.–Japan Relationship: Consideration from the Perspective of U.S.–China Friction.”

Risei Ko (Ikeda Senior High School Attached to Osaka Kyoiku University) and Moe Shimizu (Shibuya Senior High School) received Honorable Mentions for their research papers that focused respectively on “The Metaverse & Human Relations: A New Approach to Tackle Racism in Japan and the U.S.” and “Mental Health Care for U.S. High School Students Under COVID-19.”

In the Spring 2021 session of Stanford e-Japan, all 28 students successfully completed the course. The students represented the following schools: Aichi Shukutoku Junior and Senior High School (Aichi); the Academy for the International Community in Japan (AICJ) High School (Hiroshima); Hachinohe St. Ursula Gakuin High School (Aomori); Hiroo Gakuen High School (Tokyo); Hiroshima Prefectural Hiroshima Senior High School (Hiroshima); Hokkaido Sapporo Minami High School (Hokkaido); Ikeda Senior High School Attached to Osaka Kyoiku University (Osaka); International Christian University High School (Tokyo); Kaijo Senior High School (Tokyo); Kaisei Academy (Tokyo); Kasugaoka High School (Osaka); Keio Girls Senior High School (Tokyo); Kyoto Gakuen High School (Kyoto); Kyoto Prefectural Rakuhoku Senior High School (Kyoto); Mita International School (Tokyo); Nagasaki Prefectural Isahaya High School (Nagasaki); Oin High School (Tokyo); Okayama Prefectural Joto High School (Okayama); Oshima High School (Kagoshima); Saitama Municipal Urawa High School (Saitama); Senior High School at Otsuka, University of Tsukuba (Tokyo); Shibuya Senior High School (Tokyo); Takada High School (Mie); Takamatsu High School (Kagawa); Toyama Chubu High School (Toyama); Waseda University Senior High School (Tokyo); Yaeyama High School (Okinawa); and Yatsushiro High School (Kumamoto).

For more information about the Stanford e-Japan Program, please visit stanfordejapan.org. The application period for Spring 2022 will begin November 15, 2021.