The Ohba Seminar at Hachioji Campusconducted research on fair trade as part of a Global Studies Seminar

On October 26 (Sat.) and 27 (Sun.), 2024, the 58th Teikyo University Seisha Festival was held at Teikyo University Hachioji Campus, and our university Faculty of Languages and Cultures Department of Foreign Languages Associate Professor seminar of Mayo Ohba conducted a fair trade coffee sale and fundraising activities as a practical activity of the Global Studies Seminar. The seminar also participated in the "Hachioji Kitaguchi Marche," a stall event held at the Tokyo Tama Mirai Messe (Hachioji City, Tokyo) on Sunday, December 15 of the same year, and conducted similar activities.

In Associate Professor Ohba's Global Studies Seminar, students are learning about the connections between Japan and countries in the Global South from a variety of perspectives, in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As in the previous year, this year was also based on the keyword of fair trade, and in the first semester students learned about the outline of fair trade. In the second semester students participated in the university's Seisha Festival and a stall event at Tokyo Tama Mirai Messe, where customers were asked to decide the price of fair trade coffee and then purchase it, with all proceeds donated. This activity was sponsored by Daiohs Japan Co., Ltd. and Kobe Coffee Co., Ltd.
Fair trade products are sold at a price commensurate with the labor compensation of local producers, so the selling price is higher than usual, and awareness in Japan is not yet necessarily sufficient. Following last year, this year too, this activity, which considers the current situation and connections with developing countries through fair trade coffee with purchasers, is an opportunity not only for students but also for purchasers to think about connections with developing countries in their daily lives. Purchasers decide the amount they pay after receiving an explanation, but this year we also introduced an initiative where purchasers can choose which organization they would like to donate their payment to. In 2024, there was the Noto Peninsula earthquake at the beginning of the year and the subsequent heavy rain disaster, so the organizations to which donations will be made will be domestic and overseas, and there will be three: Noto Peninsula Relief Fund, Japanese Red Cross Fund, and Tetsuko Kuroyanagi's UNICEF Fund.

On the first day of the university festival, our university's Chairman and President Yoshihito Okinaga, stopped by to inspect the event and purchased some fair trade coffee after listening to an explanation from students. The fair trade coffee was also sold to people of all ages who supported the initiative at the Tokyo Tama Mirai Messe event that followed. Proceeds from the two events totaled 135,896 yen, of which 91,425 yen was donated to the Noto Peninsula Relief Fund, 23,135 yen to the Japanese Red Cross, and 21,336 yen to Tetsuko Kuroyanagi's UNICEF Fund.
Reflecting on the project, students shared their thoughts, saying, "The idea that 100% of the purchase price would be donated was well-received, and we had many more visitors than we expected." "Customers who were interested in the idea of contributing to developing countries by purchasing fair trade coffee expressed a desire to actually purchase fair trade products in their daily lives." "It was a valuable experience that allowed us to think about and learn about fair trade." "The activities at Tokyo Tama Mirai Messe were different from those at the university festival in terms of age, scale, and the level of explanation required, so it was very educational." Associate Professor commented, "One customer who purchased coffee said, 'This kind of activity by young people is a source of hope and encouragement for society,' which was very encouraging for our students. I'm pleased to have been able to share with the students the importance of Practical learning, including hands-on learning, rather than just classroom learning." These activities are based on our university's Educational Philosophy of "“One’s way”" and specific Educational Guidelines of "Practical learning, International perspectives, and Open mindedness," and contribute to the creation of a sustainable, inclusive society through practice. Teikyo University will continue to support students' research activities, including those related to the SDGs.

Project Members

Shien Aisaka, Seiko Shinohara, Ayumu Honma, Mizuki Meguro, Rio Yasukawachi, Nana Yasutake (4th year students, Faculty of Languages and Cultures)
Ryunosuke Aoyama, Keita Oyama, Tsubasa Ogata, Hiroba Senuma, Anri Takashima, Kento Senda, Yutaro Tominaga, Bunta Fujimoto, Ayumu Mori, Kasumi Moriya (3rd year students Faculty of Languages and Cultures)

Click here for details on Faculty of Languages and Cultures
Click here for information on Teikyo University's efforts toward the SDGs
Click here for more information on Kobe Coffee Story's SDGs initiatives
Click here for information on Daiohs Japan's SDGs initiatives

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