Gifu University held the 45^th Gifu University Forum at the University Auditorium on June 1, 2015.

At this Forum, Professor Takashi Onishi, President of the Science Council of Japan and President of Toyohashi University of Technology, delivered a lecture titled "Society with Dwindling Population & Future Visions of National Universities."

First, Professor Onishi made mention of the financial difficulties and effects of the population decline in Japan that national universities face, and suggested steps that universities should take, such as accepting more adult and international students, and working to raise the percentage of Japanese students who go on to universities.

In addition, he presented future visions for the country's national universities. Specifically, his recommendations entailed national universities becoming more proactive, relevant, and vital institutions by utilizing local private-enterprise and government funds as a means of diversifying funding, giving back to the local community, and drawing upon more diverse pools of human resources.

The vision he presented for the future of national universities embraced a wide range of perspectives, such as the creation of tax incentives to help secure endowments, the need to consider restructuring and consolidating universities given Japan's continuously falling population and poor fiscal state, among others.