Special Roundtable Discussion Held with Mr. Kimihiro Eto, Former Executive Director of the Bank of Japan.

On October 8, 2026, a special roundtable discussion titled " Leveraging Insights from Successful Professionals for Your Own Career Vol. 3" was held with Mr. Kimihiro Eto (former Executive Director of the Bank of Japan, former Special Advisor to IBM Japan, Ltd., and currently Senior Advisor to Aflac Life Insurance Japan Ltd.).

Students and faculty gathered at the session to leverage the insights of a top executive for their own career development and educational support.

In his lecture titled "Finance and Technology," Mr. Eto reflected on his career and four major technological trends in IT, illustrating the dynamic evolution of financial systems from back-office efficiency tools to core drivers of business management. Drawing from his vast practical expertise, he also discussed the groundbreaking nature of generative AI alongside the complexities of risk management in financial infrastructure.

During the Q&A session that followed, Mr. Eto attentively addressed a wide array of questions and topics of interest from attendees, fostering a dynamic and engaging dialogue throughout. Participants shared inspiring feedback, such as: "Hearing about the impact of technology on banking--from network infrastructure to generative AI--was extremely educational for us as IT students. In particular, his explanation of how unique generative AI and blockchain appear from a bank's perspective provided a fresh point of view that we couldn't gain solely from the technical side." Another participant noted: "Drawing on his HR leadership experience, he gave us valuable advice on how to continue growing through our work, which I will truly take to heart."

At the conclusion of the event, Professor Kaneko from our university delivered a message to the students, stating: "This was an incredibly valuable opportunity to engage in direct, open dialogue with a top leader who served as Executive Director of the Bank of Japan. I hope you will continue to value an attitude of cultivating broad interests and expanding your horizons alongside your specialized expertise."

Our university remains committed to creating meaningful touchpoints between students and leading professionals from industry and society, thereby fostering social capital to empower career development and educational support.