On June 12, Professor Mitsunobu Kano, Vice Executive Director in charge of promoting Okayama University’s efforts to help achieve SDGs, delivered a lecture on SDGs initiatives that are being implemented in and outside Japan and Okayama University’s efforts to help achieve SDGs at an Okayama Prefectural Assembly’s Local Public Policy Seminar (the 1st seminar in FY 2018).

After a greeting by Dr. Kayo Takahashi, Executive Director and Executive Vice President for Planning, Evaluation and General Affairs, Professor Kano, Vice Executive Director, who also serves as the chair of SDGs Initiatives Planning Committee, gave a lecture titled “Expected Great Changes to be Brought to Okayama by SDGs—the Black Ships of the Heisei Era.” Referring to SDGs as “common-sense” changes, Professor Kano talked about the significance of bringing changes to society by achieving SDGs, what the public administration is expected to do to bring such changes, Okayama University’s specific activities to help achieve SDGs and some other topics. He highlighted that people who take responsibility for the present will take responsibility for the future. The lecture was followed by a Q&A session, where he answered questions from 23 Okayama Prefectural Assembly members. In response to the question “Are there any discrepancies between the word “goals” used in SDGs, and the Japanese equivalent?” he answered “There may be some discrepancies, but you can use SDGs as a common expression instead.”