Amine Kouider, chair of the Department of Cinematic Arts and New Media at MIU, recently returned from a wide‑ranging visit to Japan that highlighted growing international interest in Consciousness‑Based Education, creativity, and global academic partnerships.

Pictured above: Welcome party in the office of Dr. Chieko Kato, Chair of the Department of Information Sciences and Arts, Toyo University, Japan.

MIU has a longstanding memorandum of understanding with Toyo University in Japan, a major private university with approximately 30,000 students. Kouider’s visit was designed to strengthen this relationship and explore new areas of cooperation in teaching, cultural exchange, and Consciousness‑Based educational initiatives.

Kouider was invited by two Toyo University leaders — Dr. Kensei Tsuchida, dean of computer science, and Dr. Chieko Kato, chair of psychology, sports science, and statistics. Both are long‑time Transcendental Meditation practitioners (Dr. Tsuchida also practices the TM-Sidhi program), and both have expressed interest in strengthening ties with MIU, including future reciprocal faculty visits.

Kouider spoke to multiple student groups, including a large lecture of more than 100 students on the inner source of creativity. He was also invited to lead a smaller seminar with graduate psychology students, where the discussion focused on Consciousness‑Based Education and the role of developing consciousness in learning and creativity.

During the visit, Kouider met with former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, a longtime supporter of MIU who delivered MIU’s commencement address in 2015. Hatoyama encouraged Kouider to introduce students to meditation during his lecture.

“When you actually meet people at different universities around the world, you see how deeply relevant the knowledge we have at MIU really is.”

— Amine Kouider

“We all closed our eyes together, and there was a very palpable silence in the room,” Kouider said of the student meditation session. “The faculty were deeply appreciative of that moment.”

“When you actually meet people at different universities around the world, you see how deeply relevant the knowledge we have at MIU really is,” Kouider said.

Meeting with Japanese government leaders

Beyond Toyo University, Kouider met with members of Japan’s parliament, the Indian ambassador to Japan and other representatives of the Indian Embassy and Consulate in Tokyo, and municipal leaders in several regions.

In the city of Izumi, near Osaka, Kouider met with the mayor and education officials to discuss the possibility of sister‑city and sister‑school relationships with Fairfield and MIU, as well as introducing consciousness‑based education in local schools.

“Ken Suzuki kept saying MIU is the field of all possibilities,” Kouider said. “His story really reminded me of the kind of graduates we have — people who simply don’t see limits.”” 

— Amine Kouider

Kouider met with several MIU alumni making an impact in Japan, including Kenichi Suzuki, an MIU graduate who helped manage Yukio Hatoyama’s successful prime ministerial campaign and is a senior leader of Japan’s Constitutional Democratic Party and represents the party internationally.

“Kenichi Suzuki kept saying MIU is the field of all possibilities,” Kouider said. “His story really reminded me of the kind of graduates we have — people who simply don’t see limits.”

He met with the principal of a secondary school in Greater Tokyo, Mrs. Shimo-yamada, on how to implement Transcendental Meditation into her school. He also met Ms. Noriko Miyakawa, the noted film editor who worked extensively with film director David Lynch across several major projects.

And he met with Mr. Taihei Takizawa, who wants to help create a Maharishi School in a community in the Yatsugatake mountains in central Japan, west of Tokyo.

The visit included cultural exchanges, such as attending a classical dance performance at the invitation of the Indian Embassy.

And he visited two sacred sites that Maharishi had also visited in Japan. One was the historic Sengen Shrine near Mount Fuji, a Shinto shrine where Kouider and his hosts participated in a traditional ceremony dedicated to peace. The other was to the Sanjūsangendō Temple, home to 1000 Golden Buddhas, in Kyoto.

Reflecting on the experience, Kouider emphasized its broader meaning for MIU faculty and staff. “We get caught up in day‑to‑day responsibilities,” he said, “but this trip reminded me how rare and important this work really is. What we’re doing at MIU matters to the world.”

Coordination by MIU graduate Shizuo Suzuki

Dr. Shizuo Suzuki coordinated Kouider’s visit and itinerary. Suzuki graduated from MIU in 1983 with a degree in education and became one of the most successful Transcendental Meditation teachers in the world.

He became the leader of Japan’s national TM organization and wrote a best-selling book about TM in Japan. He has taught the TM technique to more than 2,000 people, including prime ministers and first ladies, government ministers and members of parliament, a state governor, city mayors, and leading business executives, and he has implemented TM Corporate Development Programs in more than forty companies, including some of Japan’s largest. He is now the Raja or global administrator of the TM organization in Japan.

In 2023, MIU awarded him an honorary Doctor of World Peace degree in recognition of his lifetime achievements.