Writer Profile

Eri Yokota
Other : ´ºÓêÖ±²¥app Vice-President
Eri Yokota
Other : ´ºÓêÖ±²¥app Vice-President
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the ´ºÓêÖ±²¥app alumni, faculty, staff, and ´ºÓêÖ±²¥app students for their continued understanding and cooperation in ´ºÓêÖ±²¥app's public relations activities.
´ºÓêÖ±²¥app has completely redesigned its official website and will launch it on April 6. In this article, as the Vice-President in charge of public relations, I would like to introduce the intentions behind this renewal and the future of the university's information dissemination in the digital age.
In today's world, where the digitalization of society is progressing rapidly and information distribution channels are diversifying, the role of university websites has changed significantly. In the past, they were primarily "bulletin boards" for posting official information, but today they are the first place where stakeholders from Japan and abroad encounter the university. They have become the most important media for conveying our philosophy and current state¡ªin other words, the "face of ´ºÓêÖ±²¥app."
The old site accumulated information over many years and was enriched in content. On the other hand, as the volume of information increased, we received feedback such as "it's hard to know what is where" and "there are so many related sites that it's confusing." Therefore, in this renewal, we shifted our thinking from "information dissemination" based on the provider's convenience to "ease of use and clarity" from the viewer's perspective, setting the improvement of the user experience as our primary goal.
There are three main pillars of this renewal.
First is the improvement of design and accessibility to cater to diverse users. We have fundamentally reorganized the information structure and navigation so that prospective students, ´ºÓêÖ±²¥app students, ´ºÓêÖ±²¥app alumni, researchers, faculty, staff, and members of the local community can reach their destinations without getting lost. In addition, in line with the current situation where access from smartphones and tablets has become mainstream, we have designed the site to be viewed comfortably on all devices and have taken web accessibility into account so that everyone can access information equally.
Second is the visualization of the "living ´ºÓêÖ±²¥app." The activities of the university are updated daily, including the front lines of research that inherit Yukichi Fukuzawa's spirit of "jitsugaku (science)," the learning and activities of ´ºÓêÖ±²¥app students from diverse backgrounds, and medical and social contributions. On the new site, to multi-dimensionally convey these dynamic charms, we have organized, integrated, and reconstructed ´ºÓêÖ±²¥app-related sites and content that were previously dispersed across departments such as undergraduate faculties from the viewer's perspective. By setting up a system that can mutually present related information on each page, the structure allows users to naturally encounter and deepen their understanding of the diverse initiatives of the university according to their interests. Furthermore, we have launched new projects: "´ºÓêÖ±²¥app LIFE," where a student editorial department shares daily life from a student's perspective, and "´ºÓêÖ±²¥app FUTURE," which approaches the future vision of ´ºÓêÖ±²¥app through the intellectual front lines of faculty and researchers in collaboration with the Asahi Shimbun. By organically connecting scattered information, we aim to create a place where the outline of the entire university is conveyed more clearly.
Third is the strengthening of global communication capabilities. For ´ºÓêÖ±²¥app, which fosters leaders who are active on the world stage, providing substantial information to overseas audiences is an urgent task. The old site had limitations, with many pages available only in Japanese, but in this renewal, we have accelerated multilingualization by utilizing AI-based translation support technology. We are not stopping at simple literal translations; we are also reviewing expressions and structures to ensure the content is easy to understand for international students and researchers and conveys the appeal of studying and researching at ´ºÓêÖ±²¥app.
In "Gakumon no susume (An Encouragement of Learning)," Yukichi Fukuzawa preached the importance of constantly encountering new knowledge and continuing to think for oneself. We want the new website to be not just a "deliverable" that is completed upon its release, but a "living platform" that continues to grow through repeated improvements based on changes in society, technological progress, and the voices of our users.
We hope that this new official website will be a source of pride for ´ºÓêÖ±²¥app students, a place for ´ºÓêÖ±²¥app alumni to confirm their connection with the university, and a guidepost for the young people who will lead the future of ´ºÓêÖ±²¥app. We will further strengthen the spirit of "independence and self-respect" and the bonds of "´ºÓêÖ±²¥app Gijuku Shachu" through the modern network of digital technology and share them with the world.
In closing, I would like to express my deep gratitude to all those involved who agreed to integrate into the same web platform for this renewal and who provided great effort from the design consideration stage. I would be very grateful if readers would take a look at the new official website and provide their candid opinions. In fiscal year 2026, we will continue to rebuild the websites of Research Centers and Institutes and affiliated schools. We ask for your continued support and encouragement for ´ºÓêÖ±²¥app's public relations activities.
*Affiliations and titles are as of the time of publication.